Mismatched
by LightsLunarfox
Summary: He was the loud mouthed Middle school punk. I was the girl with the overprotective father and reputation for being "Graced with wealth" Both of us were killed at nearly the same time.After that our lives suddenly connected,to each others and others
1. Prologue,Dead as a Doornail

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**A/N: Okay, so, new story, new start, and I really need to Start learning how to speak in these author's notes I do. Anyway, Time to start and hope you enjoy the first Chapter of Mismatched!

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_**Chapter 1: Dead as a Doornail?

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_**Date: **_**February**_** 16**__**th**__**, 2002

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Where…? Where exactly was I?…I mean. It looked like the last place I remembered going, but more…up in the air, maybe? It only took me a moment to realize I was floating.

"_Floating_?! But! - But! How?!- and why?!" I shouted frantically, trying to find my balance after I finished totally flipping out.

"Okay Mimiko... Think…Think… What was the last thing you did?" All I could remember was being cornered by three guys from my school, and I wasn't honestly sure who they were, but they were after me for some reason, I can't even remember what they said. Then I felt a sharp pain across my neck… and after that, nothing. Against my better judgment I decided to look down, and directly after that wishing I didn't. My body lay lifeless behind a dumpster in an alleyway in the city, blood surrounding the area of my neck, people carelessly passing by, but that was probably because no one probably ever heard me scream. I have some condition, of which the name is slipping my mind, but it weakens my ability to scream, and there are sometimes I can't scream at all. Take for example, possibly when I was slit across my throat and left for dead. Still… am I actually dead? Or is this all some horrible nightmare? I pinched the skin on my arm to see if I could wake myself up. Sadly, all that proved was this was all real. Who murders a person in broad daylight, and gets away with it? The worst part is, I know which part of the city I am. They never move the dumpsters until they are completely full, and that takes a while since most people have their own, more 'efficient' way of taking care of trash. My body probably wouldn't be discovered until the scent of my rotting flesh becomes unbearable. Once I got a good grip on floating I floated towards my body. I decided to reach out and touch it, but of course, with the day I was having today, that did not happen. My hand passed right through it, and I lost my balance, passing through the dumpster and stopping before I passed through the building walls.

"So… I really am dead huh?"

"Bingo!" I heard someone answer in a sing-song tone. And to tell you the truth, if I could have died again, and this time out of fear, I would have. I turned around quickly, being faced by a light-blue haired, pink eyed lady sitting on an oar.

"Who… who are you?" I asked softly, trying to find my voice.

"Botan's the name, Pilot of the River Stix, I'm sent to deal with people like you! You Must be…" She pulled out a little gray book, flipping through a few pages "Mimiko Unizagi, age 14, Personality is calm, Forgets things often, and most of the time avoiding things rather than confronting them. She Listens well to most people and is an average student" Botan said, and in a very bubbly tone. I can't tell why she was being so bubbly… I don't find the fact that I died very amusing.

"People…Like…Me?" I parroted. She gave a nod. Then looked down at a red book in her hands.

"Dear, I'd love to explain more to you, but right now, I have another person we need to go pick up that just died. And I also have a very special proposal for the both of you. Mind coming along?" I looked from Botan, to my dead body, and then blinked.

"Like I really have a choice?" She giggled.

"That's the Spirit!" She helped me onto her oar, then we took off to the other side of the city. On the way, Botan explained a few things to me.

"You see, when people die unexpectedly, they often won't be able to accept it, and so they turn into ghosts." I played with a strand of my hair.

"So…I couldn't accept my death…but I don't even remember it."

"Exactly dear. Most people don't, but above all, it's just the overwhelming feeling. Dying from things like murders, and falling off of high areas, things of that sort, has a different impact on people; dying of old age is different. They are ready to die, so they end up directly in Spirit world." And out of everything she had just said, I only understood half of it.

"Spirit World?" I questioned.

"You can think of it as an in-between world. From there is where your crimes are weighed out against your good deeds, and where the prince of Spirit world assigns your soul." I shook my head.

"I know this is all very confusing for you, but it's okay, I never expected you to understand it."

"Botan?" She looked back at me.

"Yes Dear?"

"This person who died… who are they?"

"Well, we're almost there, maybe you'll know them." Oh gosh, did I hope not. It was bad enough I had to die, and if the day took another person I knew, I think I would've lost it.

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**A/N: So, that about wraps up this chapter, bet you can all guess who died…but uh, let's not let Mimiko in on that. Hope to see you at **_**Chapter 2:**__**Did I Know You?**_


	2. Did I know you?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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_**A/N: And now at the second chapter I realize I'll have to watch every single episode of Yu Yu Hakusho again…oh well, 3**__**rd**__** time's a charm. Anyway, enjoy chapter 2!

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**Chapter 2: Did I Know You?

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**Date: February 16****th****, 2002

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I sat on the back of Botan's oar, wondering what this proposal she had was. I mean, if she was the Grim Reaper… wouldn't she have taken me to this Spirit world already? She came up behind the boy who I assumed was a ghost. Well, he was unless people found a way to float in mid air.

"Could it be- I've turned into a ghost?!" He had apparently just come to the same realization I had.

"Bingo! Bingo! You win the Prize!" Botan said suddenly, surprising me out of my thoughts. The boy flipped out and whirled around. And I felt like I knew him from somewhere…but where?

"I didn't Figure that you'd figure it out so quickly" she commented.

"Who the hell are you?" What Botan basically repeated everything she had said to me earlier, about how people become ghosts.

"You still aren't answering my question." He said impatiently. Then she told him who she was while I sat quietly to her right. He didn't believe her when she said she was the grim reaper.

"A pretty girl like you? Please you're no grim reaper." He then gave a vivid description of the stereotypical grim reaper. Bag of bones, black robe, the works. Botan didn't know whether to see that as an insult or compliment.

"Yusuke Urameshi, Age 14, Personality is impulsive and ill-mannered with a violent temper. He has no respect for authority and is a horrible student. Things weren't looking up for you were they?" Botan asked, looking up from her little gray what was apparently a guidebook.

"That's none of your business!" Yusuke retorted. He tried to grab it and she moved it out of his way, so he fell forwards instead. Botan only laughed. Where have I heard his name before? Wait!

"Yusuke! You go to Sariyaski Junior high right?" He looked at me, and I suddenly wished I would have kept quiet.

"Yeah, went, who are you?" he asked. I shook my head shyly.

"I'm Mimiko Unizagi, I went To Sariyaski too." He thought for a minute.

"Oh yeah Rich Girl. What are you doing dead?" He asked bluntly. I winced at the name, but answered him.

"I was murdered by a few people from school earlier this afternoon." He blinked.

"Well Hell that's just a bit worse than getting hit by a car huh? Sucks for you." He then turned his attention back to Botan.

"Okay then Death Lady, What happened to that kid that I saved?" I blinked. Yusuke wasn't the type of person, from what I remember, to save Child.

"Would you like to go see him?" Botan asked. Yusuke nodded. Botan took us both to the city Hospital, where we came to a window; I spotted a little kid covered in bandages. The doctor was explaining to the mother he was going to be alright. She started tearing up, hugging her child.

"Look at that, he's really okay." Yusuke said, and for I second I could tell you I saw him smile. Whenever I used to see him in the hallways, he was always in a bad mood. But seeing him smile like that…it made me want to get to know him. Even though it's too late. We're already dead. He suddenly turned around.

"Alright, I got no regrets, so you can take me wherever I'm going now." I looked down, and Botan caught my action.

"What's the matter?" I seemed to have captured Yusuke's attention too, though he wasn't showing it.

"It's just I… do have a regret. I had an argument with my father today…I told him I hated him and stormed out the door without saying goodbye." Yusuke put his arms behind his head.

"That isn't that bad, I mean, I used to say that to my mom all the time, she knew I never _meant_ it."

"Well, it wasn't really all that simple, my parents are divorced, and my mother has full custody of my younger brother and sister. She never lets him see them, and he told me all the time, I was the only thing he had left, even with all his money. He never cared about money. And I don't like the fact my last words to him were so spiteful." I explained. Botan only giggled. Yusuke turned around.

"And what's so funny about all of this?" he asked.

"I was going to say it earlier, but you never stopped talking. You see I didn't come to take you away from this world, I came here to offer you both another chance at life!" she said excitedly. I blinked and let Yusuke Speak what was on both our minds.

"An ordeal huh?"

"Uh-huh."

"What the heck are you blabbering about?" Okay…Almost on both our minds. Botan continued.

"You see, none of us were expecting you two to die today you threw us all for a loop, Yusuke especially." I looked over at Yusuke, who seemed surprised.

"Run someone with your credentials through that scenario _thousands_ of times and they never would have saved a kid like that. No one saw it coming and quite frankly we haven't prepared a place for you yet." She turned to me.

"Or you! I mean we never saw your murder coming, we simply thought those boys would pass you by, but that wasn't the case."

"Oh give me a break lady! You mean you guys were expecting the little boy to die!?" Botan flipped through the gray book again.

"Well, I wasn't going to tell you this, but without the confusion of you running into the street that boy would have missed the car and escaped with one less scrape on his right shoulder." Yusuke's eyes widened.

"But it was headed right for him."

"Yes, well the driver would have veered to the left." I tilted my head in confusion.

"But then wouldn't the driver have died?" Botan shook her head.

"No, the driver would have been able to short stop and escape with nothing but slight trauma." She answered. She looked back at Yusuke and smiled.

"In other words your death was a complete and utter waste!" Yusuke winced and floated downward… uh, all the way downward, out of sight before I could even say anything.

"He was surprised? Well I can hardly blame him for that! Ha-ha! "She said to me. Once again before I could say anything, Yusuke shot back up, about ready to take a whack at Botan. She hid behind her book.

"Cool your jets silly I told you that you could get a second chance remember? Just go through this tiny ordeal and you can be back to life in no time." The look Yusuke had on his face next, I couldn't tell if he was shocked or thinking. She flew backwards on her oar a little, closing the book.

"You should both feel very special, unexpected cases like these only happen once every 100 years!" Yusuke stayed silent for a moment.

"You're just like the teachers in my school" He commented before floating off. He mumbled something about the teachers having no idea about anything as well. Botan and I exchanged glances before following after him.

"All I'm saying is it's a pretty good deal don't you think?" I nodded, but Yusuke didn't seem so interested.

"Maybe, but…no thanks." He put his arms behind his head.

"I think I like being a ghost. You said that my life was pathetic right?" Botan shrugged.

"Everyone'll be happier now that I'm erased." Botan shook her head.

"I'm sorry you feel that way at such an early age." Yusuke looked away.

"Yeah, yeah, now you have to agree there is no point in me doing some stupid ordeal" Botan floated upwards.

"I don't think there is any point in making big decisions so early, why don't you spend some time at your wake and see how you feel then okay?" she asked him. She promised she'd be back when we both made a decision and then left.

"You got worms in your ears?! I said I didn't want to do it!" Yusuke shouted after her, but she ignored it. Yusuke sighed before beginning to travel to his wake. He stopped and turned around.

"Coming?" he asked.

"Me? Oh, of course!" I said quickly following after him. Yusuke and I ended up dawdling, but still made it by the time his wake started. I saw a woman in a yellow shirt leaned against a wall, staring blankly at nothing.

"That's my mother." He explained, I nodded.

"She looks so…sad." Yusuke scoffed.

"She'll be back to her old partying self by tomorrow." We then looked down at the guests.

"That's everyone from class." I pointed out. He nodded.

"Look at them, laughing, they probably only came to get extra credit!" I floated in front of him.

"Yusuke calm down, and look." I moved from his view as a brown haired girl from our school, named Keiko Ukimura stepped out, her two friends trying to calm her down, she was crying frantically.

"Keiko please!" one of her friends pleaded.

"Yusuke…No!..." Yusuke looked confused.

"Is she… making all that racket for me?" I pulled my arms behind my head.

"Unless there's another Yusuke that just died around here." My attempt at sarcasm could not be replied to, as another interruption came our way.

"Come on, let's go back!" someone insisted.

"Yeah this isn't right."

"Shut up and let go of me would ya?!" Both Yusuke and I looked a bit farther right from where Keiko was.

A Large carrot top was coming to the door, shouting and making a racket while his two friends attempted to hold him back.

"What?! Kuwabara?" I blinked.

"That one with the gang of street fighters?" I asked. He nodded, staring intently at the scene before us.

"Darn you, you think you can just back out cause your scared!" the mourners inside looked on as he continued making his way forward.

"Kuwabara this place is for mourning!" one of his friends tried to explain. Kuwabara only kept moving.

"I'm not going to leave. Not until he comes out here and lets me fight him!" He walked right past Yusuke mother, who seemed lost from the world.

"He can't do that!" He pointed to the picture of Yusuke set over his casket, seemingly enraged.

"I'm going to beat you down you punk! You hear me?! "His voice started to tremble.

"Who do you think you are?! Huh?! How am I going to fight now?! Who am I going to fight?"

"He's gone!"

"No!" He thrust his fist forward to punch the picture, but stopped short, and started to cry.

"You're supposed to be here! For me…"

"Come on Kuwabara Let's go." His friend said calmly. As they pulled him away, his other friend apologized for the racket Kuwabara had caused. Yusuke didn't say anything, only looked on as Kuwabara was dragged off. Finally he spoke.

"Who would have…guessed? " There were some teachers below us. One I knew, , he was my teacher. The other one, I didn't know, but I saw him around. They started talking about how they wished the car was big enough for Yusuke and Kuwabara. We floated behind them.

"Even at my own wake they knock me!" he growled. They were pulled back to face Mr. Takanaka, one of the schools best teachers in my opinion.

"What do you suppose is more disgraceful that boy's shouting in misery or your insensitive or idiotic words?"

"Takanaka?" Yusuke questioned quietly. Mr. Takanaka let go of the two other teachers and walked past them, into Yusuke house. We followed him in. He first bowed to Yusuke mother, a custom of paying respects, then he turned to Yusuke little Shrine. He then said some words, which I was farther away than Yusuke so I didn't hear them.

"Yus..Ke… " I turned around to see his mother had finally snapped out of her blank state, but still seemed deaf to what was going on around her. She then started to cry, breaking into a sob.

"This way."

"Yes mommy." At the door, were the boy Yusuke had apparently saved, and his mother.

They kneeled by Yusuke's shrine, and prayed. The mother turned to her son once they finished.

"Now you should say something nice too." He nodded.

"Thank you for, saving me, and making faces." The mother turned around and bowed to Yusuke mother, who was still curled up and crying, and bowed. I looked at Yusuke's face, and could tell he was taking all this in. after all, it wasn't too hard to see. Yusuke Slew out of the house and far up over it, and I followed. We watched the mother and son walk out and decided to follow for a moment.

"Mommy, do you think it'd be okay if I played with that boy tomorrow?" he asked his mother. She knelt down.

"No son."

"I know some people sounded angry at him, but he was really nice! I don't know why those people were crying, they probably wanted to play with him too!"

"Oh..." The mother pulled her son into a hug, which confused the hell out of him. Me and Yusuke floated around for a while, wordless, and then I thought of something.

"Hey..Yusuke?" He looked at me.

"What is it?" I avoided his gaze and looked to the ground.

"Think we can visit my place? I want to see how my father is coping with the fact I'm missing." He nodded.

"Yeah, sure." I lead him to my neighborhood, which was pretty fancy and all, but I wasn't paying attention to that now. I passed through the walls of the red house with the cop car in front of it. Yusuke followed.

"She went Missing Seven hours ago!"

"Are you sure that she isn't with a friend sir?"

"No, she always calls! No matter how mad she is at me!" My father was talking to and officer, who was asking him what I wore the last time I was seen, and where I could possibly be hiding if I didn't want to be found.

"Okay sir, thank you, we'll be in touch." Yusuke huffed.

"That's what they all say." Rolling my eyes, I watched my father sit in a chair, holding his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry…" His voice began to tremble.

"I'm so sorry… Mimiko… my darling Mimiko." He started crying, breaking down like I had never seen him before.

"My dad is… not very sensitive… he doesn't know I'm dead… but if this is what it's like when I am missing…" Yusuke put a hand to my shoulder.

"We should probably look for Botan." I looked back at my dad.

"He shouldn't be sorry, I should." I followed Yusuke back outside. Botan appeared next to us.

"Well, have you both decided?" she questioned.

"Hi Botan." Yusuke didn't bother saying it the right way.

"Botan...hey."

"Yes Dear?"

"Have you ever not known about something? That seemed obvious to everyone else around you?"

"That happens to us all I think." She answered.

"so, ready now?" Me and Yusuke looked at each other.

"Yeah… we are." He responded.

"Oh, good for the both of you! Now let's not waste any time and this started!" she laughed, while Yusuke shouted, she made him grab onto her oar, and having no choice, I used his leg to hold to because I couldn't keep up.

"Hey! Where are you taking us?!" Yusuke asked once he stopped shouting. She turned to face us.

"Spirit world!" was her only response.

To the what?!" I blinked.

"Spirit world, she's going to take us there to meet some prince guy that can help us, right?" She nodded.

"Bingo!"

"Will you stop staying that?"

"Ha-ha!" However you'd like to put it, I was just glad to get another chance at life.


	3. A Trusted Friend

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**A/N: Not too much to say here other than I hope your enjoying the adventure so far and here's chapter three for you.

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**Chapter 3: A Trusted Friend

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**Date: ****February**** 17****th****, 2002

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We continued on with Botan, and Yusuke asked more about the Spirit world. Botan proceeded to tell him all about King Yama. I never heard of a King Yama, when she talked to me about it, she mentioned a prince.

"So, Botan, when are we supposed to get there? " I questioned, looking from her to the ground below.

"Soon, soon, we should be coming up on it shortly" She assured. She looked straight ahead before addressing Yusuke and I again.

"In fact, if you look ahead dears, you'll see our entrance point!" Both Yusuke and I tried to see around Botan's oar, though I suddenly wish I hadn't. A giant swirling…uh, light portal thing was what I ended up staring in the face.

"You may want to hold on tight now!" Botan warned, before taking us full speed into the portal. Being our natural instincts to fear for our well beings…well okay, we were dead, but the instinct's still there okay? Anyway, in fear for our well beings, Yusuke and I screamed like little children all the way through the portal thing, which was pretty fast though.

"You two can stop screaming now." I opened my eyes and looked around, below us there was a giant river, and ahead of us, a canyon.

"Is that the River Stix?" Yusuke questioned. Botan nodded.

"Well of course."

"Oh…" Botan pointed further ahead.

"And up ahead is the gateway of decision." Yusuke and I looked far ahead as we could see, where we saw a gigantic temple looking building. It was at that moment I realized we were already traveling through the canyon. Suddenly Botan's oar whipped forward, continuing on at a faster pace.

"Hey!" Yusuke shouted. She let us down as soon as we reached what appeared to be a gigantic door. I looked up. This building was huge. It made me wonder what kind of king we were dealing with. I heard Yusuke comment about it under his breath.

"Botan here, I've got some new arrivals with me!" The door suddenly began to lurch open. Yusuke gasped.

"This thing is like a giant throat! Are you sure it's safe?" he asked Botan.

"Don't whine." Botan began walking in and I followed, leaving Yusuke in his awe for a moment. I heard him following only seconds later though. I began to wonder silently what exactly we'd be facing when we saw this King Yama guy. Would he be big, small, want to kill us?...well permanently? I looked over at Yusuke, who for the moment seemed caught up in his own thoughts. Then again, that was only for about a moment.

"I'll squeeze him till' he's begging for mercy and see how he likes taking orders!" He then collided smack into Botan, and I was sort of glad I was off to his side and wasn't made into a sandwich. Botan stopped and turned to stare at him.

"What in the world are you muttering about?"

"Me? Oh nothing."I sighed.

"Botan I'd hardly call that muttering." I commented. She ignored me and pushed on a small button, something you would normally see at an office or something

"Botan again will you let him know I have Yusuke Urameshi and Mimiko Unizagi with me?" a strange voice answered.

"We are opening the gate!" Botan told us to stand back as the big gate opened. I kind of backed up behind Botan, a bit of fear in the pit of my stomach. However…

"I need information on Mr. Gans in two minutes!" An… ogre…person...said, running around frantically. Yusuke and I watched as dozens of these Ogre people rushed around. Botan continued walking and we followed her in.

"Is… this like the dead people's stock exchange?" Yusuke asked, looking around in several different directions. Botan led us to a pink door, which opened when she stood in front of it.

"Sir I brought you the kids you wanted to see." She said, bowing. Not knowing what to do, I bowed as well, and Yusuke freaked out beside me.

"I'm right here." I looked up, trying to determine where the new voice had come from.

"Look down! Yes there you go!" I blinked. Standing in front of us, was not a giant kingly figure like I had expected, but a talking toddler. Yusuke looked bewildered.

"This is the guy that's in charge?" he was ignored.

"Welcome. How do you like my castle?" He asked. He walked over to the desk and climbed up into the chair. We walked to the front of the desk. Botan introduced us.

"This is Yusuke Urameshi and Mimiko Unizagi, and both of them are honored to meet you."

"Mhm..." Was all he said. I bowed in respect again. Botan whacked Yusuke's chest when he didn't do anything to show his respect.

"Hey are you trying to make me look stupid?! Tell him how honored you are!" In response, he burst out laughing. I noted the look on the king's face was pretty irritated.

"That's a good one Botan but let's be serious okay?" Botan looked absolutely mortified.

"Why would I lie about something like this you moron?!"

"Ha-ha why would the Spirit world be run by a toddler?!" He pointed and Botan slapped his hand.

"Don't point at him!" Yusuke continued his laughter.

"And to think I was scared of the mighty King Yama!" Yama cleared his throat.

"Well to be more exact I am the mighty Koenma, and I am the son of King Yama. I appear to be young but I have been around over fifty times longer than you have so watch your mouth when you speak to me!" Okay…so Koenma's his name? Confused, but okay. He turned to me.

"She's very quiet isn't she?" He questioned Botan. She nodded.

"Yes, much less of a handful than Yusuke, but she can be loud when she wants to be." She responded, patting my head making me feel a bit like her trained pet.

"Anyway, let's skip to the business shall we?" he jumped onto his desk so he was near our eye level. It was good that Yusuke finally shut up for two seconds.

"Yusuke Urameshi and Mimiko Unizagi, I present to you, your ordeal." He held out one golden egg, and one silver egg in either hand. They looked a lot like chicken eggs.

"The ordeal is some shiny chicken eggs?" Koenma explained to us they were not chicken eggs, but contained something called a Spirit beast. If our emotions were good, the Spirit beast that hatched would be kind, and lead us back to our bodies, if not, it would eat our souls. Scary, right? He gave us a choice, and I took the silver egg right away. Yusuke was hesitant, but took his egg as well.

"I cannot believe I did that…" Yusuke said later as we floated around the city with Botan. I looked at my egg, wondering if my own would hatch into something good or bad.

"Well I'm afraid you don't have time for reflection." We both looked back at Botan.

"Koenma said until the ordeal is done he'd keep a pulse in both your bodies but that won't help if both of you are cremated at your funerals." Yusuke freaked.

"I forgot!"

"Can't very well be alive if you don't have a body to live in."

"Botan, no one knows where my body is. " She shook her head.

"Now that doesn't mean no one can't find it. It'll be harder to come back if everyone knows you dead." Yusuke flew ahead.

"What are we waiting for?!" a couple of yards of flying and he stopped short, making me and Botan stop as well.

"I thought we weren't stopping." Botan stated.

"Well, then how do we tell them to keep our bodies twenty feet from the nearest oven?" I looked from him to Botan.

"Is there any way we can communicate with the living?"

"Yes."

"So are you going to tell us?" Yusuke questioned. Botan explained if we stand at their bedsides, we could talk to them, since people are more aware to the supernatural at night, and we could talk to them in their dreams. So we Split up, I looked for someone who I trusted that would listen to me on my own while Botan went with Yusuke. I tried to figure out to who'd place it was I wanted to go. My father would never listen, that's for sure. But… Shin! That was it! He'd listen. So I went to my friend Shin's home. Shin is kind of that best friend you can count on, and he'd listen until I was done explaining

Once I floated through his bedroom wall, it made me feel like a stalker. But… anyway, I stood a few feet away from his bedside, looking around his small room. Shin was fast asleep, his get black hair draped over his face like a blanket. He looked peaceful when he slept, it's almost like he never had anything to worry about. But he did have a lot to worry about; his parents had just gotten separated, and were now battling for custody of him.

It reminded me of when my parents battled for custody of their three children. My mother got my little brother Makoto and baby sister Sinai. But anyway, his television was on, the dog show displayed on the screen. I never got the appeal of a bunch of sissy looking dogs and their stuck up owners walking around a ring, but he loved that kind of thing. Shiro basically loved anything to do with dogs. Speaking of dogs, at the foot of the bed, a little ball of blonde fur. That would be his Chihuahua Koko. Well, her full name is Kyoko, but when he first got her I always called her Koko, and refuse to call her anything else. Chihuahuas' are the only kind of dog Shin could ever have, his [parents didn't like dogs but didn't mind a small one like Koko, especially because she's well behaved.

I always told Shin he had a bat not a dog, because Koko's ears are so massive. I stepped to Shin's bedside, sort of sitting at the edge of his bed.

"Shi... Shi? Can you hear me?" I questioned softly, hoping he'd stir…even slightly.

"Mi..mi?" I jumped at the voice, he was still sleeping, but I guess I entered his dreams, Like Botan said I would.

"Shi listen to me, I'm sort of dead right now." Now I knew I was in his dream, because we were standing face to face. He jumped back a little.

"Dead?! What do you mean dead?!" I sighed.

"Gone, no longer part of this earth, that dead." He shook his head.

"But your father said you were missing."

"My father doesn't know I'm dead, and I want to keep it that way. Look, it's hard to explain, but I can come back, but until then I need you to keep people from finding my body." Shin looked confused.

"And how do I do that?"

"I was killed close to our old clubhouse. It's only a block or two from it I think."

"So you want me to carry your dead body to our old clubhouse that we dug out underground?"

"Yes."

"Isn't that like a tomb?!" I waved my arms frantically.

"No! - What I mean is! - Listen I just need you to- so my body won't-"

"Mimi, I'll do it." I stopped spazzing to look at him.

"You do realize passers-by may see you right?" he nodded.

"Yeah, but hey, what are friends for right?" I smiled briefly before starting to leave his bedside.

"Right." He shot up in bed, almost kicking poor Koko off it.

"She was really-"he looked around. "- I know she was…" He kicked the covers off himself and ran to the dresser. I took note of the sound of rain outside but continued to watch Shin. He pulled open the drawers roughly, looking for something. What he pulled out of the top drawer surprised me. In his hands rested a blue bunny plush animal, something I thought he threw out, since I gave it to him last week on his birthday as a gag gift.

"Kyoko." Koko lifted her head, one ear being weighed down by the edge of his covers. Shin strapped a towel to his waist, threw on a jacket, stuffed the bunny in his pocket, and picked up Koko, starting out his door. I followed as he carefully opened his front door and proceeded to run down the street. He eventually ended up downtown. He put Koko down and removed the bunny from his pocket. He held it up to her and she took a sniff. She started barking and ran about another block before stopping at a black bag on the ground.

"On closer inspection, it turned out to be my bag." Shin picked it up and looked down the dark alley that still held my body. Koko started down it and he followed along. He finally got to the end, leaning down a bit when he saw my battered frame.

"My dream was true…but is she really coming back." He started to pick me up when I saw something come from behind him.

"Shin!" I shouted, though I already knew he wouldn't hear me.

"Well look what we have here, a little grave robber." Shin turned around at the sudden disturbance in the silence. Three boys from our school stood behind him, and it all came back to me. These were the three boys that had killed me in the first place!

"Who the hell are you?" Shin demanded bravely.

"We happen to be the three that are trying to keep that body from being discovered." One of the boys said.

"So you're her murders." Shin said bitterly.

"Ha, yeah, you could say that." I think something in Shin snapped, and he stood up and punched one of the boys square in the face, one of the other two kicked him down.

"Don't you hit our leader like that!" He barked. Shin, who was down, swiped his leg under the second boys, making him fall over. The third one stepped up.

"Now you're in for it kid!" Suddenly he gasped in pain, and turned around to try to see what caused him such discomfort. Latched to the back of his pants was little Koko. I guess little dogs do have worse bites than barks. Botan somehow appeared beside me, scaring the hell out of me in the process.

"Now may be a good time for him to run." I looked at her.

"And how do I let him know?" Botan gave me a look.

"Try passing through him, if he's even slightly spiritually aware, he'll get it." I nodded and passed through Shin, who gasped, but got up, got my body onto his back and began to run, fast as hell I'll tell you. Koko detached herself from the shouting boy's pants and ran after Shin. Once he came to a second block, Shin turned went to the soggy grass. He felt around with his foot until he hit something that sounded like metal. Koko caught up to him. Holding the bunny in her teeth.

"Thank you Kyoko." He then took off one of the bunny's ears, and produced a key.

"I can hardly believe he kept that."

"Kept what?" Botan asked.

"That Key, we haven't had a use for that for four years." Shin fumbled with the latch before finally opening the metal door that was covered in a grass blanket. He gently lowered himself in, my body still on his back. He grabbed Koko then shut the door. He walked into the semi-large, square shaped room, which was covered over in bricks, kind of like a basement. I remember spending months building it. He set me on the small couch we had in there, sitting me sort of upright. He then took off his coat and unstrapped the towel he had at his waist. He began to clean off my neck, which was caked in dried blood. Then he ran it through my hair to remove as much blood and water as he could. Koko sat down quietly, observing.

"He doesn't have to do that. He could get sick; he should be drying himself off." Botan smiled.

"I guess he wants you to have a clean body to come back to." He finished and sat on the couch next to my body.

"I'm so tired Koko, I don't know if I could go home." He looked at my body.

"At least…she's coming back…" He yawned and began to drift asleep, leaning against me and beginning to close his eyes. Koko barked and his eyes became wide. He shook his head as he pulled himself off me.

"What am I doing? Right now she's still dead and I'm using her like some pillow." Shin picked up Kyoko and left the key and the bunny next to me.

"Hey…Remember to lock up when you leave." Botan giggled as we watched him leave. Great. I'd have to spend the next two days with her and she'd never leave me alone. I felt a pulsing in my pocket and took out the silver egg.

"Hey…Botan, it's beating." Botan looked at the egg.

"Well, I didn't see you do anything bad, so hopefully, it's feeding off some good emotions.

"Yeah… I hope so."

A/N: Okay, well that sure took a while to write but there you go. I need to know what you guys think if you'd like the Idea of MimikoxShin, cause I wasn't so sure about it so, if yes or no, let me know, thanks!


	4. Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**A/N: So Yeah, been on vacation and things, but now that I'm back, I'm ready to write and attempt being more productive with the story. So hope you enjoy chapter four!

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_**Chapter 4: Family

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_**Date: **_**February**_** 18**__**th**__**, 2002

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Leaving Yusuke and Botan figure out how to save Yusuke's body from becoming a barbeque the next morning, I set out to wander the town on my own for a while. Often I took the tiny silver egg from my pocket to look at the pulsing white spot, reminding me there was still hope that I could return to my body. After all, I did tell Shin I would be returning. This also made me wonder how my father was coping with my absence.

So, due to my more curious side, I found myself making my way to the house that my father and I shared.

" Is he even home?" I thought aloud, examining the driveway to see if his car was there. Not seeing it, I decided to go inside anyway, using the wall of my room as the entrance point. That's when I saw what made me stop short. My father was sprawled out across my twin-sized, floral print bed, which had been neatly made up by the housekeeper, I noted, as it had been a huge mess when I left it the morning I died. He was holding Niko, my white and gray spotted pet rabbit, in his arms. I didn't understand that, since he always said he didn't like Niko, my 'little bag of fleas'. I guess Niko didn't understand this either, since he squirmed and squirmed.

"Where?" I heard my father utter weakly. I was startled by the sudden break in silence, but I quickly regained my composure.

"Where did she go?" There was a knock on my door, but my father didn't respond.

"Mr. Unizagi? The front door was unlocked, and you were um… home, so I was worried." To my relief, it was Shin. He noticed my father's fetal position on my bed.

"Mr. Unizagi?" My father only slightly responded to Shin the second time with a raise of his head. Shin walked over to the bedside, sitting at the edge like he used to when he walked home with me.

"S-Shin?" Shin raised his head giving a simple smile to my father.

"Mimiko…where?" He was a wreck. Note to self: Never ever go out without telling him where I'm off to. Shin looked lost in thought for a moment.

"I'm sure wherever she is, she's fine, Mimi's strong. And she'll come home when she's ready. But Mr. Unizagi, why are you not at work? School was out for us but-"my father shoved a note into Shin's hands. Shin took it and read aloud.

"Mr. Unizagi, since the disappearance of your daughter… nice way to word it…" he mumbled before continuing.

"Seems to be affecting your work habits, I would like you to take time off until this issue is solved… Sincerest Wishes, Mr. Tongiara." He put the note down and turned to my father again.

"Look, I know Mimi up and leaving is…strange, but if it helps I'll go look for her." My father got up slowly, and Niko darted to Shin, who placed him back into his cage.

"It's not… Like her." Shin looked to my father upon hearing him speak.

"Hey… don't beat yourself up over it, you can come with me okay?" Shin led him out of my room. I mentally thanked him before heading to my next destination: The city hospital. Once there I looked from window to window until I found who I was looking for. Laying in the bed against the wall, was my little brother Makoto. The were in his arms, and he was reading who knows what. My mother was standing across from the bed, wearing her brown business suit, her reddish hair tied into a ponytail behind her. She was on her cell phone, as usual. That was the main reason my parents split to begin with: she was a workaholic. She always has work before her family, and that understandably pissed off my father. How she won my two siblings in a custody battle with my father, or why she didn't pick me over the other two, I don't know. She knows the other two can't care for themselves. I've never hated my mother, just her outlooks on family.

"Is that your family?" That scared the hell out of me.

"Botan! You need to stop doing that! Even if I do become a living person again, you must have scared ten years off my life by now!" Botan giggled.

"Sorry dear." I decided to answer her question.

"Yeah, that's my brother and my mother." Then I asked a question of my own.

"Weren't you with Yusuke for the day?" Botan nodded.

"Yes, but I have an hour, he possessed Kuwabara's body so he could talk to Keiko." I shook my head.

"Okay." Both of us then journeyed through the wall of the hospital, where we could now hear the people around us.

"Yes, I understand, I'll be there as soon as possible." My mother flipped her phone shut and turned to Makoto.

"Mommy, you haven't sung the song to me yet…" Makoto stated shyly.

"I'm sorry Honey, but I have to go to a meeting now, maybe later." There it was again. It seemed liked my mother would never understand how sick Makoto was. He is afflicted by a disease that constricts his appetite and breathing. He can't eat or breathe on his own much. So he needs to be constantly monitored by the hospital. He would never be able to attend a school, make friends, or anything. He was confined to the hospital almost all the time. And when he wasn't, my mother was ignoring his existence… one of the only friends he does have.

"I'll see you later Makoto." She said, patting his head and starting for the door. Makoto was about to cry.

"Stay with him!" I shouted at her. Though it seemed like she wouldn't hear me, she stopped and turned.

"What the blazes-" Botan seemed like she had an idea.

"Mimiko it seems like your mother is spiritually aware."

"So?"

"So that means you can possess her, you know, if you don't want her to leave the poor dear alone." I decided to ask how possession worked.

"I prepare the host, then you jump into the body, it's simple! But it'll only work for an hour." She warned.

"Okay Botan…do it." So Botan did, and my mother stiffened.

"Now." I took over her body, settling into it. I looked at myself in a nearby mirror.

"Mother needs to lay off that cheesecake…" I commented quietly.

"Mommy?" I turned around, facing Makoto, trying to think of something my mother would say.

"Yes honey?"

"You had to go work?" My mother cell rang. Not knowing what else to do, I answered.

"Hello... No, I'll get there when I- you don't need to be rash- Shove it! I'll get there when I feel like it!" I snapped the phone shut. Makoto blinked in confusion.

"Mommy? Am I going to die today?..." I froze. It was at that moment, I realized what it must have been like, to hear at such a young age, you could die tomorrow, today…or any time in your life… but that you won't even live to be my age. I stumbled over to his bed in my mother six inch stilettos, and knelt next to him.

"Mako… Don't you think like that. No matter what any doctor says to you, you have to believe in yourself, that you'll live another day, that you'll keep on living everyday… and…" Tears crept into my eyes.

"And that you'll be there…living, amazing all the doctors who said you wouldn't live to be Mimiko's age." Makoto started crying.

"Mommy…" I thought of the song my mother and father had made up for him only a year ago, when he turned seven. And I absently mindedly began to sing to him, bringing his smaller body closer to my borrowed one, careful of the wires that were attached to him.

"_Makoto is the air in which we breathe _

_The sun in which we sleep_

_Makoto is our boy_

_Makoto is the world---"_Makoto curled closer to me, and I continued to sing for him.

"_Makoto is the rain in which Mimi dances_

_The snow in which Sinai plays, the light in mommy and daddy's life_

_Makoto is our boy----"_Tears dropped silently from my brother's eyes, and I did my best to clean them away.

'_Botan… Give my mother her body… right now.' _ I guess she did, because within seconds I was a floating ghost again. My mother looked surprised, a crying Makoto in her arms, and puzzled as to why she wasn't at work.

"I love you mommy…" Makoto said quietly, leaning closer to my mother, if possible. Her cell rang, and she looked at it… but she did possibly the best thing I saw in years… She let it rings and clung to her little boy. Botan ushered me out and I went. I took my egg out once we were outside.

"Its pulsing more Botan…" Botan smiled.

"Maybe it thinks what you did in there was kind." She suggested. After her mentioning we had to find Yusuke, we left in search of him, to see if he was successful in talking to Keiko.

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**A/N: Okay, so about the song, Sue me, I made it in like two minutes, and had no ideas, but all and all, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	5. Observations and a Rescue Mission

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**Chapter 5: Observations and a Rescue Mission.

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**Date: February 18****th****, 2002

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We eventually located Yusuke, which, through Kuwabara, had gotten her to go find Ms. Urameshi, who put his funeral to a halt after feeling his heart beat…which…apparently she had felt when going to slap him for uh…leaving. It was in the next three days that the three of us, Yusuke, Botan, and myself, were floating above the town, Yusuke and I staring at our eggs, which both had been pulsing a lot more lately.

"You know it'd be really embarrassing to be eaten by something that comes out of and egg this tiny." I blinked and turned toward Yusuke, who had broken the nice silence we hadn't had in a while.

"Well Yusuke, if you do some good deeds you'll have nothing to worry about." Botan reminded him.

"Please, I hate people who call themselves good citizens that say they care but their always out for themselves."

'_This attitude is going to get him eaten.' _I thought to myself, stowing my egg in my pocket once again.

"Everything is always half empty with you isn't it! Keep acting like this and you'll never get your life back!" Botan argued. Yusuke started throwing his egg up and down. Botan gasped.

"That toddler Koenma's got me by the balls and he knows it! He's just another idiot who's abusing his power!" Botan quickly moved to cover his mouth.

"Shh… You need to watch that tongue Yusuke."

"Who cares we're alone..." He muttered under her hand.

"We do not know that for sure, Lord Koenma probably has investigators checking on how you and Mimiko are doing." Botan explained as she uncovered his mouth.

"Investigators?" Both of us questioned at once.

"What do they look like?" Yusuke ventured. The sky suddenly turned dark and the three of us were startled. Through the cracks of thunder and the funnel cloud, came a shimmering blue orb, that seemed to be coming down to us.

"They look like that…" she answered quietly.

"Huh?" Yusuke and I were blinded by the light emanated by the orb. Once the light dissipated, and I was able to see again, I took note of the young looking girl standing….er, floating in front of us. She had navy blue hair and bluish green eyes. Her skin was pale…well, since she was a ghost, that was seen coming. Her dress was a purple...but almost blue color, and the color of it was pink, white lace lining and the bottom, she was also barefooted, and holding a red notebook in her hand.

"Hey. Pleased to meet you." Was her first sentence to us. Yusuke blinked, seemingly having nothing to say at the moment, so I bowed in greeting.

"Hello…um…it's nice to meet you?" It sounded so much like a question, and it also sounded very rude. Yusuke had regained his voice at this point.

"That was quite an entrance, who the hell are you?" So blunt, But at the same time, it sounded a lot ruder than how my greeting turned out.

"The investigator?"

"Heheh, no kidding so you're the one huh?"

"The one Koenma sent to check Yusuke and Mimiko's progress?" Botan added. The girls gaze was firm, It actually felt like her eyes were boring into me. I don't know how Yusuke felt, but that was how it was on my end.

"I'm Sayaka." Yusuke sighed out in frustration.

"These kids-"He got in her face. "Why don't you tell me what you're going to investigate Sayaka?!"

"I'm sorry." She disappeared and reappeared next to me, freaking me out in the process.

"But that's a secret." She said, almost teasingly. She then turned to Botan.

"Botan if you would help, which one is Yusuke's girlfriend?" I blinked and looked to Yusuke, quite amused with the look on his face.

"Girlfriend I don't- what are you talking about?" Sayaka simplified it for him.

"Which of the girls is Keiko?" He got out of that relaxed position he was in.

"Not that again why can't you Spirit people get it through your heads that she's-"

"Right over there." Botan and I chimed together before he could finish his sentence. Keiko was walking with her friends, laughing and such. I decided to venture asking Yusuke something I had been wondering for the past hour.

"Yusuke if Keiko's not your girlfriend why have we been stalking her for an entire hour?"

"We haven't been stalking her; I'm just making sure she's okay."

"But that's-"

"Shut up Mimiko!" He floated behind Botan and Sayaka, who were sitting on Botan's oar.

"It's hard to believe that a girl with her kind of positive markings would even go for a guy like him."

"I heard that." Sayaka turned to Botan, ignoring Yusuke completely.

"Now are we certain that Keiko wants Yusuke back again?" Yusuke turned around, blinking.

"Huh?"

"After all there's a great deal of man power involved in performing these life recoveries smoothly, and it'll be a waste if we have to bring back one let alone two people, and one of them isn't even wanted back."

"Hey look this ordeal thing wasn't my idea so don't throw me a guilt trip, and as for Keiko, how would I know?" He then muttered something I could hear, something along the lines of if she had any sense…

"She wants you back…" I offered quietly.

"You'd think so. It's always, 'Yusuke go to class', or 'Yusuke that's not the right uniform', she probably only wants me back so she can get a better reputation with her teachers." He explained, mashing his face together to get his point across while he spoke.

"Why do you say things you don't mean? You know she only scolds you because she actually cares about you." She turned to Sayaka.

"I've learned not to listen to a word he says most of the time, he's just embarrassed. He's got the cutest crush on Keiko!" I floated next to Sayaka and watched as this spared a small argument between Botan and Yusuke.

"The nature of this relationship between Yusuke and Keiko doesn't seem clear; I'll have to investigate it further." She said to me.

"Um…Sayaka…?"

"Hm?"

"What do you have to investigate on me?" I asked carefully.

"Oh, not much, they just asked me to look at your friend Shin. But since he goes to the same school as Keiko, that shouldn't really be a problem." She explained.

"O-Okay." Without another word, she sped off, and the rest of us went in pursuit. We came to Keiko's English class, which, ironically, and probably to Spirit worlds planning, Shin was in too.

"And the tranquil waterway, leading to the uttermost ends of the earth, flowed somber over an overcast sky, seemed to lead into the heart, of an immense darkness." She looked up at the teacher, who threw his hands into the air.

"And that's heart of darkness people! Perfect reading as always Keiko!" I saw Shin and his friend Haru exchange glances. Haru was a brown haired, handsome boy, who I have to admit I found attractive at one point. They seemed to have had something planned. But we went on through Keiko day. Watched her play volleyball, watched her handle her friends questions in way that would have been a great contrast to mine and all.

"Smart…Athletic… Friendly but stern with her friends… her scores are next to perfect! This attraction between Yusuke and Keiko is obviously one-sided!" Sayaka observed.

"I can hear you." Yusuke warned. He was once again ignored as to our surprise; Haru and Shin were coming Keiko's way.

"Here comes a handsome boy and Mimiko's friend." Sayaka said. "This should be interesting." They stopped and Haru spoke, Shin lounging at his side quietly.

"Excuse me, Keiko?"

"Huh?" Keiko turned around and blinked.

"Do you, have a minute?" Haru asked.

"Yeah…of…course."

"I heard your reading in class today and it made me sad…when you stopped." He stopped for a moment."And it wasn't the book because I thought it was lame. See I've fallen in love with your voice."

"If that isn't one of the corniest-"Botan covered my mouth to stop me from talking. Keiko looked down.

"Oh…"

"Will you be my girlfriend Keiko?" She paused a minute.

"Sorry… but no…"

"What? Why not?" Haru became obviously distressed. "Don't tell me I've come too late and you like somebody else." Keiko looked up again.

"I do." Then I saw her smile. And she began to run off.

"Huh…?" Shin turned to look at Haru.

"Told you that you shouldn't have gone with the 'I've fallen in love with your voice' thing." He then ran off after Keiko.

"Noooooo!"

"Talk about pretty boy gone ugly." I commented, giving a last glance at Haru before following shin and Keiko with everyone else. This once again was greeted by an exchange of wise cracks from Botan and retorts from Yusuke.

"Feelings on both sides are strong yet confused… suggests serious counseling." Sayaka observed once again as she wrote in the little red notebook. Once outside Keiko had decided to cut through an alley, I guess to get to Yusuke's house. She was stopped by three boys. The three boys I knew all too well. I had been killed trying to get through an alley to Shin's house, as the scene had made me recall.

"Well, look what we have here." One of them said. Keiko didn't know it, but they weren't after her. Shin stopped behind her and gasped, clenching his fists when he saw who had cornered Keiko, in the process of cornering him.

"If it isn't the grave robber boy." Keiko turned around; finally realizing Shin was behind her. These were the three boys that had killed me. My murderers. One of them, apparently the leader, grabbed onto Keiko's shoulder, roughly pulling her against him. I saw something glint in his pocket. The tip of a knife. Yusuke and I stayed silent, not able to find words to say. Botan and Sayaka didn't make it worse by saying anything either. Shin steeped forward, grabbing onto Keiko's arm.

"Let her go. She had nothing to do with that. She doesn't even know me."

"Then why were you following her?" Shin held up a blue and red marble notebook.

"Because she dropped this." One of the others slapped Shin's hand from Keiko's arm.

"Now, if you don't know her…maybe you shouldn't get fresh with her." The leader pulled the knife from his pocket, holding it to Keiko's neck.

"Now…if you make a move, this girl dies. You should tell me where you hid your little friends body."

"K-Keiko…" Yusuke uttered. Shin exploded on them.

"All you are is a bunch of cowards! You can't go after anything more than girls who can't fend for themselves! Why don't you try aiming that knife at me instead of her?!" Those words apparently struck a sensitive core for the leader. He withdrew the knife from Keiko's neck and pushed her away from him. Keiko, who was paralyzed by fear, couldn't move. Shin pulled her behind him.

"I won't let them hurt you." He assured her. Keiko nodded slightly.

"Can you run?" He asked. Keiko shook her head.

"I-I can't move."

"Damn." The leader grabbed Shin's collar.

"Then why don't I" He brought the knife to Shin's neck, beginning to drag it across his throat.

"Shin!" I cried out.

"No!" A scream shot out from the oncoming silence. Keiko suddenly rushed forward, knocking into the leader, making him drop his knife, and Shin.

"You little-"One of the other two made a grab for her, but was abruptly punched back from her. Shin stood in front of her, holding his fist.

"Hard head." He commented. The last one charged forward, knocking shin over with a punch to his ribs. The leader was beginning to get up, as was the other one. Both charged past Keiko, to Shin, who was on the floor, defenseless. All three of them started kicking and stomping on him. Keiko stood there, paralyzed, and still shocked at what she had done before. Shin shouted at her to run, when he wasn't being silenced by kicks to his stomach. Botan held onto me, and it was only now I realized I was crying. Sirens suddenly sounded, and the three boys stopped.

"Great…" The leader muttered. He looked down at Shin, and gave him one last kick.

"This isn't over." They retreated, running past a terrified Keiko. Shin lay on the concrete, battered and bloody. Keiko rushed to him once she had found her footing. With no other option, she slung his arm around her shoulder, and began walking, to get away from the police. Shin was still conscious, just had trouble walking, she he walked with her assistance. Keiko set Shin against a wall once they were far enough away. She then grabbed a towel from her bag, and started cleaning the blood from his neck. I dried my eyes, thankful that those boys had retreated.

"Thank you…" She said as she cleaned some blood from his face.

"It wasn't really anything, you weren't even supposed to be a part of that, you were just in the wrong place, and I didn't need to see another girl get killed by those guys." Keiko looked surprised.

"Those are the boys that murdered you?" Sayaka asked me. I nodded.

"Another girl?"

"Yeah, they murdered my best friend a few days ago. I took her body back, and it may sound crazy but there was a reason… she's coming back." Keiko's eyes widened.

"Coming back…?" Shin looked away from her.

"You must think I'm crazy huh?" Keiko shook her head.

"Oh no… you see… my friend is coming back too…he got hit by a car."

"Yusuke? I heard he got hit by a car." Keiko nodded. Shin blinked.

"I guess now that idea isn't so crazy." He said, looking back up at her. Keiko chuckled.

"No, it isn't." She put the towel into her bag again and slid against the wall beside him.

"Hey." Keiko looked at Shin.

"Yes?" Shin closed his eyes, leaning back.

"Maybe Yusuke and Mimiko ran into each other when they died." He laughed, and she joined in. Me and Yusuke glanced at each other.

"How right was that?" He asked me.

"On spot." I responded. Sayaka and Botan laughed nervously. Once Shin was able to walk again, He and Keiko said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. I don't know where Shin was off too, but Keiko continued on her way to Yusuke's.

"What is that Smell?!" Keiko exclaimed once she got to Yusuke's. His house was covered in garbage, and it looked like a maze of it.

"Ugh I don't even think you could get to the other side of the room without stepping on half-chewed food or broken glass!" Keiko commented as she stepped over it. She found a note on the table and read it.

"Ugh she's back to normal." Sayaka looked at Yusuke.

"You don't seem to have a very responsible parent."

"Very observant." He commented, putting his arms behind his head again. We heard Keiko gasp and turned our heads that way.

"Even Yusuke is covered in garbage! What parent leaves their child like this?! I swear it should be some kind of Felony!" She began to walk but slipped on an empty bottle of beer. She crashed into the wall, causing books and an empty bowl of noodles to come tumbling down on Yusuke's body.

"Hold on Yusuke I'm coming!" we watched her clean the books off of him.

"I'm going to have to come here every day or Yusuke isn't going to have a body to come home too." She muttered. She moved a can and looked at him.

"Just look at his face, it's covered in dust!" She took a rag and began to clean his face. I leaned against Yusuke and started laughing. He knew that I was making fun of him and pushed me away, but that still didn't stop me from laughing. His assumptions about Keiko not caring were wrong.

"Keiko has been coming frequently to check on Yusuke's body since the day he reached her." Botan explained to Sayaka.

"There you go Yusuke, you're all clean now." She trailed her finger along his face, stopping at his lips. She then pulled her hand away. The four of us watch the scene as it unfolded in front of us.

"Such a beautiful face" she thought aloud. She began leaning down, appearing like she was going to kiss him.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa Keiko get the hell away from there that's my body!-"Sayaka, who was clinging to Yusuke neck, shoved her fist in his mouth.

"Quiet down! This is the perfect chance to investigate her!"

"She can't hear us anyway."

"Indeed." Then…

"Attention everyone this is the neighborhood watch committee announcing a general heat advisory for the rest of the afternoon. Please keep children and pets inside; also keep in mind the added risk of fire in this dry heat. We've had two fires break out already, and foul play is suspected, so please, be careful" Yusuke burst with relief as Keiko pulled away.

"Thank you neighborhood watch committee!" I sighed, pouting.

"Damn."

"Oh pinch yourself Keiko what are you doing?" She paused.

"Oh! Shopping…My mother wanted me to go…shopping." So that was that, Keiko slipped on her shoes and was out the door.

"There you see? Her feelings are very confused." Botan watched Keiko go, as did I.

"Aw, well of course they are." She turned to Yusuke, poking fun at him. "It's just young love isn't it Yusuke you big cutie?" I heard a window slide open and the crackling of fire. Turning around, I saw a strange man throw something into Yusuke's window.

"Um…Guys?" Botan turned just as he was running, followed by Sayaka and Yusuke.

"Who was that?" Yusuke asked. As he did, gray smoke floated out from his window.

"The…house is on fire." Sayaka stated bluntly.

"Yes it… seems so." Botan responded. It took Yusuke a few second.

"My house is on fire!" I rolled my eyes.

"We've established this!"

"And my mom didn't even have the decency to lock the windows for me!"

"Yusuke, maybe we should focus on other things." Botan suggested.

"This is great! My body's going to be firewood!" He darted into his house, and was over his body. Wake up stupid! You want to die!" I looked to Sayaka.

"He does realize he's talking to his dead body right?" She shrugged.

"Wait a second can't I just possess myself?" Botan shook her head.

"It doesn't work that way Yusuke." She answered.

"What am I supposed to do?!" Botan explained he needed to get in contact with somebody, and ask about Kuwabara, to which Yusuke responded he was to far away. Botan said she'd go get him anyway and took off. I followed and stopped outside the house, watching a crowd form. Sayaka looked to see Keiko rushing to the back of the crowd.

"Keiko's come back."

"Yeah, great." Yusuke muttered. The fire broke another of Yusuke's windows. The men were filling buckets of water, throwing them at the raging flames. Keiko rushed forward.

"Move!" two men grabbed her arms.

"Are you crazy?!"

"There's someone inside that house!" Keiko insisted.

"It's dangerous."

"Cowards!" Keiko snapped, making them release her. She ran over to where the water buckets were being filled, and dumped it on herself. She then ran to the door.

"Keiko don't!" I heard Yusuke say, to engrossed in Keiko's actions to be sure. She opened the door and ran inside, almost pushed back by the intensity of the heat. The angry orange flames danced around her, waiting impatiently for her to grow tired. She called Yusuke's name as she charged through the fire. I followed Yusuke, who was going after Keiko.

"Keiko forget about me! You're a lot more important to this world than I am! Don't be stupid go back!" Sayaka appeared beside us.

"You know without your body you can't come back right?"

"What the point if Keiko has to get killed for it!" This shocked Sayaka. The flames clambered up the walls, seeking to take the house and Keiko down. I stopped and flew back outside.

"The fires blocking the door!" I heard someone say.

"Keiko…" I muttered to myself.

"I told that girl… I told her!" To my surprise, Kuwabara and Shin had both arrived. I knew Botan had gotten Kuwabara, but Shin must have seen the smoke and come to check it out. He and Kuwabara had bumped into each other.

"Urameshi's house!" Just as Shin was about to ask Kuwabara to repeat what he had said, one of Kuwabara's friends ran up to them.

"Kuwabara, everyone's saying Keiko's trapped inside." Both Shin and Kuwabara's eyes widened considerably. Kuwabara grabbed his friend by his shirt.

"Keiko…Urameshi's girl?! The one we saved from those thugs?!" His friend nodded.

"Kuwabara… I'll find away to stop the fire from spreading, you find Keiko!" Kuwabara blinked, not knowing who Shin was, but nodded. I went back into the house. Keiko had fallen in front of Yusuke's body, which was burning.

"Yusuke!" She crawled to him, trying to pat the fire on him out with her hands. She threw the blanket off and tried to re-wrap him in it, so no one could see what was in the blanket, and got up, trying to walk his body out. But a support beam to the house fell in her way, trapping her. The fire swirled, ready to take her in when she was ready to give up. Yusuke turned to Botan.

"Botan please, there has to be something I can do!"

"I'm sorry Yusuke I've tried everything in my power."

"There is one way." We all turned to Sayaka, who was looking over at Keiko, and her situation. "But you may not be willing to do it." Yusuke got in front of her.

"I'll decide that for myself, tell me."

"You can use the power that been gathered by your Spirit beast you've been carrying with you to save her life."

"What?" Yusuke took out his egg and looked at it momentarily. "You mean this little guy?"

"Throw it into the fire and it will unleash from the egg, and save her life."

"And that's all I have to do?"

"But if you hatch it before it's ready it won't be able to perform its usual duty. That includes Mimiko's too. You entered this ordeal together. And it's either one of you or both of you." I gasped and took out my own egg, which was still pulsing white with life.

"So…that means if he saves Keiko, the Spirit beast can bring Yusuke back to life?" Botan asked.

"Right. Neither of them will ever have a chance to be alive in this world again." Both of us were confused and at a loss, I gripped my egg, my last chance at life, and thought, of my father, my little brother, and the rest of my family and friends. Yusuke looked at me, as if awaiting my approval; I looked down at my egg one last time, and gave him a nod. He then turned around and threw his golden egg into the fire, shouting Keiko's name as he did so. The eggs blue light illuminated in the flames, unleashing in a bright blue light. All of us looked on as the egg's Spirit formed into a dragon head, leaving a shocked Keiko to witness the blue flames clearing a path for her to the door.

'Can…this be real…?" She stepped forward. And carefully started making her way to the door. Then Kuwabara ran into the doorway.

"Keiko!" He rushed forward, helping her move along with Yusuke's body.

"Someone's coming!" Shin, who had located a hose, blinked and dropped in as he saw Keiko, a bundle, and Kuwabara step out of the fire. He rushed over to them to help them out as some men behind him picked up the hose. Yusuke sighed in relief.

"They're both okay, we really pulled it off." Sayaka and Botan didn't say anything, just looked at him, concern evident in both of their looks. "Well I…sure am…relived."

"Yeah, um…me…too" I humored. The sirens of the fire trucks buzzed from down the block. Keiko was kneeling at Yusuke body, and Shin and Kuwabara were looking down the block.

"Typical now the fire trucks arrive." He turned to Keiko.

"Hey, what do you have under the blanket anyway?"

"Uh…" Kuwabara lifted the sheet, and jumped back about five feet.

"Ahh! What are you doing with Yusuke's body?!" Shin knelt down next to Keiko and re-covered Yusuke's face.

"I promise I'll explain everything, but not right now." Shin Picked up Yusuke's body, wincing from an earlier wound.

"Are you-"Shin smiled at Keiko.

"I'm fine but we have to go." Kuwabara was still in shock.

"Are you two some kind of sick grave robbers?!" The three of them darted away, Kuwabara grabbing Keiko's hand. We followed.

"Kuwabara who said you could hold Keiko's hand like that?! Don't start getting fresh with her she's not your type!" Yusuke exclaimed. Botan put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yusuke…" I'm afraid things aren't going to be easy for you…or Mimiko for a while." I looked at my silver egg. It had stopped pulsing completely, no signs of life whatsoever.

"You can't just wander around here anymore; I'll have to take you back." Yusuke's eyes widened.

"I don't know who Keiko will love in the future, but you can't interfere. There is no point in saving her heart for someone she can never have."

"Oh no… I didn't think…Sayaka is there any other way to make this work?" Sayaka remained silent. Yusuke looked down at his hands.

"So it's… Really over." I looked down. He floated away, and I remained behind with the other two, wondering myself why it had to end the way it did. Later at night, we watched Keiko, Shin, Kuwabara, and the world for what would be the last time.

"I am so sorry I put you kids at risk today, if I wasn't out on one of my stupid escapades… and Keiko, your hair…" Keiko smiled at Yusuke's mother warmly. She said it was okay and explained what had taken place in the house, when Yusuke had thrown his egg into the fire. Kuwabara was also happy that Yusuke was coming back, and Shin remained silent at Keiko's side.

"Oh son sorry about the fire, but you're okay right?" his mother asked him. Yusuke grunted in frustration.

"This is so stupid! Isn't someone going to tell them they're just talking to a dead body!? Stop apologizing mom because I'll never be around to say it's okay! I'm dead for good!" He started what appeared to be crying.

"It's not just you Yusuke." I said softly. He didn't look up at me, but I spoke anyway.

"It's me as well. Shin will never see me come back. I can never watch my brother grow up....i can't be with him the day that he says he outlived the doctor's expectations… and my father…he…" Tears dropped onto my blouse.

"…Okay Botan just take me to heaven or hell or wherever I belong, I'm sick of being here." I nodded in agreement.

"Yusuke Urameshi….Mimiko Unizagi…there is no reason you two should be acting like babies."

"Huh?" An image of Koenma suddenly appeared in the sky before us.

"…What?"

"Koenma?" me and Yusuke said, we were astounded. Apparently so were Botan and Sayaka.

"Koenma sir?"

"Sayaka I received your report. Yusuke, you've shown you have more character than I thought…..I've been trying to figure out whether people really want you back… contrary to my personal opinion they actually do. More importantly you exhibited astounding potential to be a decent human being. Because this trait is so rare I decided to give you another chance. In retrospect it was a very good thing you threw this egg into the fire. If you had allowed it to hatch it would have not have been a pretty site. It would have bitten your head off." He held up the egg that Yusuke had thrown into the fire. But as we all know that's not what happened. You threw the egg into the fire, without hesitation, and getting Mimiko's consent, Mimiko also showing no hesitation, saving Keiko's life at the cost of your own lives. You have a special quality buried underneath all that crap, and you and Mimiko may prove useful." Yusuke gasped.

"You think I'm useful?!"

"So are you giving their lives back?" Botan asked hopefully.

"Mhm."

"Oh Koenma sir you're so gracious."

"Just as long as neither of you ever call me a toddler again okay?" and with that he disappeared. We sat there, silent for a moment. Yusuke started chuckling.

"Ha-ha yeah!" We high-fived, not caring at the moment about anything else but our relief.

"Yusuke! Mimiko!" Botan clung to us, swinging us around to the point I got dizzy.

"I'm so happy for you both! You did it! You really did it!" Sayaka joined in Botan's laughter.

"Hey come on don't cling to me!"

"Yeah it's embarrassing!" She stopped and let us go, Yusuke continued shouting. I stopped and took the time to take my egg out. It was pulsing again. And I let a final sigh of relief escape me.

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**A/N: Gosh that was a long chapter to write out! But…at least I'm done, and now Yusuke and Mimiko, have their second chance at life. Keep reading? See how they fair with returning to their bodies? The choice is yours!**


	6. To Walk Amongst the Living

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**Chapter 6: To Walk Amongst the Living.

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**Date: February 19****th****,2002

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"You know there are two things I hate, Waiting and being rushed, and what do you know? That's all I've been doing lately!" Yusuke vented. It was the night after we had been granted a second chance at our… second chance at life. We decided that while waiting for Koenma, who was supposed to come and tell us what we were supposed to do to get our lives back. But he said he'd be meeting us in five minutes, which had subsequently turned into three hours. I admit I was even starting to get testy. Botan sighed.

"Well you know important people like Koenma are always busy."

"Feh. People like that just keep you waiting to make you_ think _they're important. Besides, how busy can a toddler be?"

"I thought we'd agreed you'd stop calling me that." Who else was it but Koenma. His sudden appearance made Yusuke jump back a couple of feet as well.

"Koenma?!"

"Yo." He greeted casually. I blinked.

"Took you long enough." Koenma turned to address me.

"I'm a very busy man you know." I could have, and probably would have said something to counter that, but he was giving my life back, so, I stayed quiet.

"Don't sneak up on me it really pisses me-mmph mmph!" Botan covered his mouth, laughing nervously as she did so.

"Hey Koenma sir, these two were just wondering when would be a good time to bring them back to life."

"Ah yes about that matter, it seems we're going to have to rush." We all looked at him.

"Come with me!" He grabbed Yusuke's wrist and took off with him, me following behind with Botan on her oar. We found ourselves at Yusuke's new apartment complex, his mother drinking plenty of beer inside. We were in the room they had put Yusuke into, which was darkened, I couldn't tell if his mother intended it that way or not.

"Wow nice pad, my mom must have had good fire insurance. So are you going to put me back in my body now?" Koenma shook his head.

"Not just yet. Energy of the body and of the soul have two different wavelengths , unless the two are perfectly aligned, they cannot join, which won't happen until, tomorrow." Yusuke looked pumped up.

"Wow! Starting tomorrow I'll be a living person with real fists and everything!" I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe you'll have a real heart this time too."

"What was that Rich Girl?!"

"Don't call me that!"

"I won't call you that if you tell me what you said!-"

"But- you two being living again is the best case scenario." Yusuke and I stopped arguing to listen a moment. "There is a small problem." He pointed at us.

"The frequency of your wavelengths interestingly enough are lower than most peoples. If you miss this chance tomorrow, you'll have to wait a while to realign." Yusuke shrugged.

"What are we talking about like weeks? Or months?"

"Fifty-two years. " Both of us snapped.

"Fifty-two years?!" Was repeated and chimed through the space we were in.

"Yes but I think it would be wise to do it tomorrow , and in order for that to happen, you'll need someone from the living world who cares about you at least a little bit to donate life energy." He explained.

"You… mean like a human sacrifice?"

"I'm not evil. They must give it to you, through the lips." His tone was amused, he was enjoying this. Yusuke freaked out, and I wasn't sure if I should be doing the same.

"I don't see what's so surprising about that, haven't you ever heard of mouth to mouth?" Yusuke came out of apparent shock.

"Uh…I guess so." Koenma looked at his watch.

"It's time now." He placed his hands over Yusuke's body, causing him to glow.

"Hey! Why are you making me glow?!"

"Standard procedure." He explained how what he was doing opened the road between Yusuke's body and the Spirit world, so the transfer could be made, and his body would be golden by morning. He explained also how Yusuke must enter the dreams of the people who care about him most, and tell them what to do, if someone understood and kissed him before midnight, he'd return to his body. While Yusuke tried to count three people, I turned to Koenma.

"Er… Koenma… what do I have to do?" He looked at me.

"You, Mimiko, must also go through the same process as Yusuke, this normally wouldn't have to happen if you both had the eggs, but Since Yusuke's was thrown into the fire, you have to be kissed by midnight tomorrow night, just like him. The only difference is that will cause your Spirit beast to hatch and it will open the road so you can return to your body." This was hard. I knew that if Keiko got Yusuke's message, and since she's smart, I knew she would, she'd kiss Yusuke, but I only knew three people I was close to. One was Makoto, my little brother, who was sitting in a hospital bed, then, my father, and that just seems odd. And the last, was Shin. Yes, he's a boy, and yes, he's my best friend. But that's just it. It just seems weird. I've never seen Shin as more than that, and I doubt he's ever seen me as more either. But, even so, he also was the only choice, on the account of him being the only one who knew I was dead. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Yusuke mother, who had ask her dead son to watch over the house while she went to the bar. And… she was also drunk off her ass. She then stumbled out, leaving the house dark and empty.

"I'm going to go find Shin." I said quietly. The others nodded and I took off. And I found Shin too, snoozing off in his bed. Of course it was late, so can't blame him. Koko was curled up at his feet. I sat at his bed side, wondering how to tell him what to do. I saw him stir slightly. I closed my eyes, and thought about what he had to do, and as I did, I felt my face heat up.

"Mimi...ko." My eyes opened again. Shin shot up in bed, and I floated away from the bedside. Koko barked in annoyance, for he had kicked her in that process. He looked at Koko, a dark red blush strewn across his face.

"Am I old enough to be having those kind of dreams?" I slapped my forehead in annoyance. I siged and took out my egg. Koenma had told me if no one kissed me by midnight tomorrow, my egg would go dormant, and wouldn't even stir for another fifty-two years.

"I wonder… if she was trying to tell me something." Koko wagged her tell, and Shin patted her head.

"Maybe I'll talk to Keiko tomorrow; she might have something to say about it." He pulled the covers back over himself, and got situated to fall back to sleep. The next day I was back together with Botan, Yusuke and Koenma, and we had to sit and watch Keiko and shin in their math class. Kuwabara was supposed to be there too. But he wasn't. I had missed an earlier part of the morning when Keiko had gone to Yusuke's house, but Yusuke said I didn't miss much.

"Mimiko, that Shin boy can kiss you at any time from noon to midnight tonight, and allow your Spirit beast to unleash itself. Since you haven't done anything really bad, it doesn't seem like it will eat you." Koenma had told me upon reuniting with them. Shin was working on his paper, sitting next to Keiko, while Keiko stared at Kuwabara's empty seat. Shin looked up, noticing Keiko's distressed expression.

"Keiko…something the matter?" He whispered. Keiko nodded, seemingly about to say something, when…

"Keiko, Keiko." It was Mr. Takanaka.

"Yes sir?"

"Would you, come with me? There is something wrong with your mother."

"Huh?" She looked to Shin, who nodded. She scribbled something on paper for him quickly, then grabbed her stuff and ran out. Her mother had overworked herself in the heat and needed to recover in the hospital. Though the doctor said she'd be fine. Her father had walked out of the room for a moment, and someone else stepped it. She wore her purple hair back into a ponytail; her eyes were gentle, yet cloudy. She also wore and white outfit striped with red. This was a candy striper, or a hospital volunteer, to put it in simpler terms.

"Keiko… the doctor's said your mother will be just fine… but your father asked me to ask you to give her a chance for rest."

"No… I'm staying right here." The volunteer was taken aback for a minute, but then gave a nod.

"I see, well, my name is Shia, so if you need me for something, just dial my name into the volunteer box over there okay?" Keiko shook her head and the volunteer, apparently called Shia, left the room.

"Oh this is unlucky, she'll stand at her mother's bedside all night but you're the one who needs attention." Botan said, directing it at Yusuke.

"You know between my house burning down that energy wavelength problem and now this I'm starting to think someone's out to get me." He responded.

"Yo, your link up to the Spirit world is fully loaded Yusuke, the only thing left now is the life energy. Mimiko, this goes for you as well, your egg should be glowing white." I took a look at it. Koenma was right, my egg was white from end to end, pulsing with energy. With no other options, Botan and Yusuke went to go find Kuwabara, and I went to find Shin, whom I found sitting with his father at work. I guess he had promised to help him that night or something. I looked around for the time somewhere. 11:03. I floated next to Shin.

"Shin, come on, you only have another hour, and your all the way on the other side of town from my body. It seems weird, but you have to kiss me!" Shin continued cutting a lemon. His father worked at the town's bar, and he had recruited his son to manage the fruits that go into or on the drink. I was going to try again in ten minutes, but it would have been no good… he would be too late.

"Shin!" I shouted.

"Huh?! What was that?!" Shin looked around in alarm….had I breached into the living world…again? He suddenly turned his attention to the note Keiko had left him. He opened it slowly, and his eyes widening as her read it.

"Mimiko!" He ran out of the back of the bar, leaving his father, who had walked into the kitchen, confused as hell. Shin ran as fast as he could. 11:20. He dashed in and out of the crowds of night shoppers. 11:30. He came to the shore line. Figuring he'd have no time to use the stairs, he jumped the boardwalk rail and ran down the beach. 11:40. He reached the block of our old clubhouse. 11:50. He opened the door and rushed inside, where my dead body, nicely cleaned up from his many visits, lied. 11:53. He knelt next to me, staring without a word for another minute or so. 11:55. His hesitation was great, and he lingered over me for about four minutes. 11:59. His eyes widen as the bells chime across the town, striking midnight. He leans down and kisses me. 12:01. my egg fades, and becomes solid silver. I'm speechless. As I turn, the egg starts to glow a bright red, and blind me as I feel it leave my hands. 12:03. there is a strange animal in front of me, looking like a medium sized bird, brown feathers, blue eyes, and blue chest feathers. I also take note of two large, glowing phoenix tails.

_Riki! _It flies down and lands on my body as Shin sinks to floor. It spreads it's wings and sends a golden glow over my entire body. Everything then fades to black. I feel a shock run through my body, and start to open my eyes. I am met by Shin pulling away from me, and my feet on the floor. Shin blinks. The strange bird, my Spirit Beast, lands on the lamp.

"Mimi?"

"I told you to kiss me once, not twice." I kneel to the ground, catching my friend in a hug.

"How…?" I decide to repeat Sayaka's words.

"I'm sorry…. But that's a secret." My last thought, is if Yusuke made his deadline.

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**A/N: Mmk, so, all and all not a bad chapter am I right? Anyway, now that they are safe and sound, who knows what'll happen when they get a very interesting offer from Koenma.**


	7. Save the House!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**A/N: Okay, after my computer failed on me, I'll have to tell you I haven't been writing for this very reason, no Youtube, no MSN…which failed, no nothing. But, that's all fixed and all behind me, so, now, hope you enjoy chapter seven!

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_**Chapter 7: Save the house! What in hell is a Spirit detective?

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_**Date: **_**February**_** 20th**__**, 2002 **_

I started to walk back with Shin, we fell into step after a while, just lounging in each other's presence for a few.

"Shin, how's Kouhei?" I asked. Kouhei was a girl in our school that made us into a trio. Normally we aren't seen separated from each other…but on the account of being dead…well… kind of an exception.

"Okay, she was starting to wonder where you were though." Shin answered, placing his arms behind his head. It was also a bit awkward for him I guess, having to kiss me and all, though, he wouldn't mention it. He cleared his throat.

"So… how you planning on getting back to your father?" I froze. I hadn't even thought about that. How would I be able to show up at my house after maybe a week of being deemed missing, and without a story? I obviously couldn't tell him I'd been dead that entire time. I shrugged.

"Good question." Shin looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"Well… you could always tell him you were kidnapped and you didn't get a good look at the guy." He offered.

"He'd never let me out of the house again." He shook his head.

"Then what do you suggest telling him?" I sighed. Winging it sounded like a great option at that point. We stopped in front of the walk way to my home. Shin ripped the sleeves of my school uniform to look like I had been in a struggle with someone. And slowly, I led myself down the walkway, one step at a time, to the darkened house that lay at the end of it. It seemed like the walkway went on forever. I stopped at the door. Though I had thought about it at first, I hadn't stopped because I was scared of facing my father again. I had noticed the door, which was slightly ajar, looking like it had been forced open by a screw driver, or a hammer, or something. I looked back, finding Shin still watching me from the end of the walkway.

"Shin…" I mouthed. He blinked, not understanding that I needed him to come to where I was. So I quietly ushered him to come over with my hand. He made his way over to me, without a word. Once to my side, he noticed the forced entry. I gave him a worried look.

"Police?" he questioned. I shook my head. I didn't want to call the police. They'd take too much time. My father could be in a lot of trouble, not to mention our two housekeepers that lived there as well. I gripped the door knob. If I went in, there was a high chance I could get killed after just getting my life back. But if I didn't, it'd be my father who was gone instead. Shin put a chilled hand over mine, which was over the door knob, a determined look on his face. He was telling me it was okay to open the door. So, I swung it open. The first thing I noticed, the foyer looked like a mess. Chairs were turned over, books and papers scattered every which way, and dirt foot prints trailing into the rest of the house. My concern rising, I rushed into the living room, which again, looked like a wreck. But, up against the wall, was my first housekeeper, Janice. Janice came from America, and seeking a starting job, she started to work as a housekeeper for my father. But about nine years later, Janice seems more like a mother to me… then my own mother. I ran over to her, shaking her from what seemed like unconsciousness. She stared up at me.

"Mi-Mimiko?" she questioned, a tone that told me she was unsure of what she had said.

"Yes Janice…. Yes…what happened?"

"You have to get out of here…" She warned me.

"Why?" Shin looked around, his alertness rising with any small sounds.

"Thieves… are in the house… they've taken your father…" I growled unintentionally.

"Where?"

"Up…stairs… Don't-"She faded out of consciousness again. I leaned her against the wall, heading upstairs to confront the intruders. Somehow, my feet and heart were working against me, because my brain was telling me to get the hell out of there! I heard rustling coming from my room. I walked over slowly, so the floor wouldn't make a sound, and peered inside. Two rugged looking men were snooping around my room, taking things they saw valuable. The third man had my father, covering his mouth so there was no shouting. One of the men came to Niko's rabbit cage. Niko was a rare breed of rabbit, a blue and white American rabbit. That'd be valuable if you sold it to some whacko rabbit breeder. He began picking up the lid. That's when I stepped into the doorway, my feet and heart in total control.

"You wouldn't be thinking about touching that rabbit, would you?" The three men, and my father, looked my way. My father's eyes widened.

"Great, how did that brat get here?" one asked.

"I don't care how, just get her!" the other man rushed forward, earning a muffled scream from my father. I sidestepped quickly, and the man was greeted with a punch to the face by Shin. I looked over to him, poised in an offensive stance. These three were so much bigger than him, yet he was ready to fight. I noticed Riki, My Sprit animal, perch itself on the windowsill, going unnoticed by the men in the room.

"Get them both." I was rushed at again, but managed to slide under the man's legs, and side step the second. Shin jumped on one of them, promptly being knocked against my wall.

_What the hell am I going to do now?..._ I thought to myself, trying to dodge the men, as one came to capture me, Riki spread its wings, and a blue light came from them, everything that was touched by it, except me, was frozen in time.

"What… is this" I asked. It perched itself on my shoulder.

"I thought you'd know dear!" I heard from behind me…that couldn't be……

"Botan?!" I asked.

"Bingo!" she cried. I blinked.

"Does…this mean I died?" She shook her head.

"No, not at all, I came to help show you a way out of this! Do your hands feel hot dear?" She questioned. Now that it was mentioned, my hands had had a burning sensation the entire time of confronting the men.

"Yeah…"

"Great! Now listen, Lord Koenma unlocked your spirit energy, so now you can attack with it!" I stared at her blankly for a moment before speaking.

"What would this…energy be?" She opened my hands in front of me.

"Now, stand like this, wait until an energy ball forms… then let it drop, and give it a kick! At the same time, think of the people you don't want to injure." I felt my hands getting hotter, and started to see a green ball form in them.

"Perfect! You just might be fit for the position of Spirit detective after all…"

"What the hell is a Spirit Detective?" She dismissed it.

"Nothing, um… good luck!" With that, she was gone and time started moving again. I noted the ball of green energy still in my hand, and jumped out of the man's way, having three of them where I wanted them. I thought of Shin and my father, who I didn't want to harm, dropped the ball, spun around and kicked it.

"Tomoshibi - Mari!" The ball was sent flying at the three, the last one dropping my father, and knocking them out on the floor. Out cold.

"Tomoshiwhati?" I questioned silently, looking at my hands, which had cooled down after releasing the 'attack'. That's the point where my second housekeeper, Miari, entered the room.

"Go call the police." I ordered her. She wasted no time rushing to the phone.

"Mimi-ko?" I turned to see my father, who seemed unaware of the attack I had launched.

"Father…" He got up and rushed over to me, crushing me in a hug. For a bony guy, he could sure hug damn hard.

"Wh-where have you been?" He asked. I smiled, enjoying being hugged by my father once more.

"Around."


	8. On my own two feet: Kitten Kidnappers!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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_**Chapter 8: On my own two feet: Kitten Kidnappers!

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_**Date: **_**February**_** 20th**__**, 2002

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I woke up the next morning, tired and dazed. Looking around, I noted that I was alive again.

"Thank goodness…" I sighed to myself, before pulling the covers from my body and letting my feet hit the floor. I chuckled; the feeling of my feet being on the floor was still a foreign feeling to me. Niko looked at me from his cage, sleepily rubbing at the glass with his paw. He was probably just waiting for Janice to get up so she could feed him. I slid out of my room; my socks making me slide around on the hardwood floors. I heard rustling downstairs, which sounded like my father's slippers. I fled down the stairs two at a time, and slid into the kitchen. My father was there, reading a news paper like he did almost every morning.

"Hi Father!" My Father looked up from his paper, smiling warmly.

"Good morning Mimiko." I came to the realization I didn't know what day it is.

"Father…What day is it?"

"Saturday" I yawned, looking out the window.

"Sweet, that means I can go out today." My father suddenly perked up.

"Not without a body guard you aren't!"

"But Dad, I don't-"

"No Buts'!"

"But!" And that's how, somehow, I ended up walking the streets with some Six foot man in a black suit and sunglasses following me around. Hoping to catch a break, I ducked into the library, where…

"Miss Unizagi, I'm sorry, but I need to use the restroom!" Said my body guard. Here was my time to act like the snotty 'rich girl'

"Very Well, Do as you wish." I stated flatly. He thanked me and ran to the restrooms. I took this chance, and made a dash for the door. Once I was as far away from the library as possible, I stopped running.

"Guess this is downtown huh?" I said to myself. I lived in uptown, so seeing apartment complexes, I could distinguish the differences of uptown. And there's where something caught my eye. A guy who looked like Yusuke, Entering one of the diners. So, I decided to follow, and entered before the bell on the door could ring again. As I entered, following after who I believed to be Yusuke, I noticed some ruffian looking kids, kids from Rugafuchi Junior High. He slid into a booth and so Did I.

"Hey Stranger." I whispered. Yusuke nodded at me, letting me know it was him, and then picked up a newspaper, opening it while one of the waitresses brought us tea. Once she moved, He put the paper down to apparently get a good look at the Rugafuchi guys.

"You see the way they're sitting?" He asked in a hushed tone. I Nodded.

"Well, it seems like four eyes over there is their leader." He said, and I turned my attention to the boy with chestnut colored hair, glasses, and a smirk on his face, and horns on his head….wait…horns?!

"….Yusuke….Is that guy supposed to have horns?" He shook his head. He then pulled his sunglasses he was wearing over his eyes and looked back into his paper…or magazine, I couldn't quite tell.

"Kuwabara's later than usual." We heard from the Rugafuchi booth.

"Yeah, maybe he's not going to come after all."

"What makes you so sure he'll follow your orders Sakumotou?" One of them questioned. The guy with Horns, apparently Sakumotou, adjusted his glasses.

"Simple, because I'm playing with a loaded deck, and as evidence of his great loyalty, I had him steal comic books from the most guarded store in town, and then he'd give it to me." I didn't know Kuwabara too well, but I did know that he wasn't one to steal things, his personality was just to golden, you know, underneath all the street fighting crap. And then we heard the bell on the door ring. There stood Kuwabara and his three friends, Kuwabara holding a bag under his arm. He walked over to the Rugafuchi group.

"Eikichi? Eikichi! Where are you?!" He shouted as he did.

"She's safe here with me." Sakumotou answered. "Now let's see what you've got there!" Kuwabara threw three comic books from the bag under his arm.

"There!" My eyes Widened. Kuwabara certainly wasn't someone to steal, so why..?

"I got you several kinds! I didn't know what you liked." Sakumotou looked down at the comics slowly and coldly. Then he looked back at Kuwabara.

"Well, isn't that very interesting Kuwabara?" Kuwabara winced. "I didn't know they gave receipts for stealing!" He crumpled up the paper. Kuwabara spoke up.

"What difference does it make I got you the comic books, now give me Eikichi!" Sakumotou wore the same glare.

"Fool. You missed the point entirely; I was trying to teach you the thrill of stealing. This is not what we agreed on!" He then demanded Kuwabara apologize.

"You heard me. Get on your knees and apologize for being wrong." Kuwabara's friends reacted quickly.

"What?!"

"Never!"

"Don't do it Kuwabara!" Kuwabara held a trembling hand out in front of them.

"Quiet!" He then got down on his knees.

"I'm…sorry Sakumotou….I was…wrong" Sakamotou's group then gave him Hell. With comments and all. Yusuke leaned in to whisper to me.

"Wow, this Eikichi girl must be something special to make him sink this low." I nodded slowly as response.

"You're pathetic"

"Might as well give us your backbone too." Then, one of the boys standing up, pulled out a paper bag…and out of the bag…an adorable little ball of black and brown kitten.

" I still can't believe you're doing all this for a retarded fuzz ball." The kitten mewed quietly.

"Ahhh! Eikichi!" Yusuke and I fell over, Eikichi, not being the girl we expected her to be.

"Please don't hurt her! I'll do anything you want me to do!"

"How did such a loser become boss on this turf?" Kuwabara's friends didn't hold their tongues.

"Who are you calling a loser?!"

"It's wrong, playing off Kuwabara's love for Kittens!" The guy who held Eikichi waved her around.

"You want her?" Kuwabara Stuttered and Sakumotou stepped in.

"You're mad. Why don't you do something Terrible? I think you'll find it fun if you do it once or twice, it gives you a thrill like no other!" Yusuke looked up, apparently capturing a part of the conversation I hadn't.

"Let's not dwell on Dead people; terrorizing the living is much more entertaining." I guess they mentioned Yusuke, counting on the Dead people part. They moved outside to an open yard.

"Let's go." Yusuke said, getting up. I nodded and got up, following him out the door.

"Here's your last order. Hit your three friends" We heard as we rounded the corner.

"What?!"

"They've been staring at me since we met, and I think it's very rude. So I want you to hit them until I say stop." Sakumotou Demanded. Kuwabara clenched his fists tightly.

"Now, hit them!"

"No...I could never do that to them!"

"Fine…Do It!" The guy holding the cat took broke a wine bottle and held the sharp, broken end to Eikichi's neck. Eikichi mewed helplessly as he did so.

"Eikichi!"

"Hit them or else say goodbye to your cat!" Sakumotou demanded. His friends urged Kuwabara to hit them, and save his cat. Once Kuwabara refused:

"You heard him! Kill the cat!" Yusuke darted in and gave the guy with Eikichi a swift punch to the face. I ran in after him. Eikichi sailed through the air, but Yusuke caught her with ease, landing with her under his arm. Everyone stared on.

"Where'd he come from?"

"Who the hell is he?" Yusuke got up slowly. He then turned to them, the sunglasses now off, and his identity revealed.

"Hi." Everyone was frozen in shock.

"It's…that guy…Yusuke Urameshi!" Kuwabara took two steps forward.

"You...You really came back from the dead!" Yusuke began to walk over to them, and I followed.

"That's right. And I'm In the mood for a Relaxing throw down." He handed off Eikichi to me, and rushed forwards, He also managed to kick one of them in the gut. I stepped backwards, and Kuwabara and his friends got involved in the fray as well. I ran up to Kuwabara and handed him Eikichi.

"I believe you lost him!" He smiled as the kitten was put into his hands.

"Heheh…hey…It's a She…"

"Sorry." I said, stepping out of the way of Yusuke. I noticed Sakumotou begin to run out of the corner of my eye.

"Yusuke!" He punched one of the guys out, and followed my gaze.

"Hey! He's going to miss the best part!" Yusuke ran after him, and I ran after Yusuke.

"Don't you wanna talk?!" We ran into an underpass, and Sakumotou tripped. When he tried to run, Yusuke grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"You know, I think you're right." Without another word, He punched the back of the kid's head, and he was out.

"I didn't want to talk to you either. You're an embarrassment! And what's with the little horns?!"

"You noticed too?" I asked. He nodded, then we noticed something else. A strange little creature crawled out of Sakumotou's mouth.

"Whoa! What the hell is that thing?" Yusuke asked. This startled the creature.

"What?" He glew orange, and was suddenly all over the place, Yusuke however, reached a hand out and grabbed him. It screamed.

"Get your filthy hands off me! Don't you know living humans can't see me? And they certainly can't pick me up out of the air you're breaking the rules!" I slung an arm around my friend's shoulders, getting a better look at the thing in the process.

"It's definitely too big to be a tapeworm…"

"And it talks!" I added curtly.

"They even speak my language!" the creature commented.

"Its name is… Giaki…" Yusuke and I turned at the new voice. "He is a criminal, wanted for five previous convictions in the spirit world. He bores into the evil portions of a person's soul and uses them to do his bidding." A woman in a purple and pink cloak came toward us.

"Hey, you're the fortune teller from the alley!"

"So you know her?" I was ignored.

"Yes, and you two have proven to be the ones we were looking for." I shot her a confused glance.

"Uh…" She then went on about how they were tracking the creature Yusuke held in his hands, and how our instincts led to his capture.

"You two have all that is required to be detectives of the Spirit world." Detective…now where did I hear that one before?....

"That's a fancy title. What do they do?" Yusuke asked.

"You'll learn soon enough Yusuke. The appointment is mandatory."

"Whoa slow down! How the hell do you know my name?!"

"Don't get fussy, I hope you know mine too!" she removed head dress from the cloak. Bright blue hair…pink eyes….Botan. Yusuke was shocked.

"Botan it's you!"

"There you see, I knew you'd remember me, it's only been one day!"

"Uh…am I in trouble?" I blinked. Koenma's voice rang through the air.

"Yusuke Urameshi, Mimiko Unizagi" we ran from the underpass, Koenma's image was in the Sky.

"Once again you've surprised me. Luck I'm sure, but you two have passed the test and since the situation is rather desperate right now, I'm going to commission you, for the moment, you are now the spirit detectives of earth, and no, it isn't some fancy title. You'll get cool powers I came up with myself. As the need arises Botan will provide you with information on your cases, and they won't be easy. I hope you're ready." His image then started to fade into the sky.

"Wait up!"

"Yeah we aren't-"Botan took the creature from Yusuke.

"I'll take this one back to Spirit world. You guys better get a good night's rest for tomorrow!" yusuke tried to stop her.

"Hey, you just going to leave us like this?!"

"I promise this will all make sense soon, we will have so much fun working together!" With that, she disappeared. Yusuke turned to me, and blinked.

"Well, so much for R&R." I groaned and we began to walk back into city limits.


	9. First Case! A Rare Demonic Aura!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**Chapter 9: First Case! A Rare Demonic Aura!

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**Date: February 21st****, 2002

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The following morning, after convincing my father I wouldn't need a bodyguard, I decided to visit Makoto in the hospital. After arriving, I realized I couldn't recall the room number. Looking around, I found a girl, about my age…maybe a year older. Her eyes and hair were both and unnatural purple, and her back was against the wall. She wore a candy striper's uniform, and she looked kind of familiar… kind of like someone I had seen before… from a distance. There was also something else I noticed about her. She had some kind of vibe about her, kind of like a cold wind.

"Excuse me?" She looked up at me, my eyes interlocking with hers for a brief moment. However Demeanor and her vibe, told a different story than her voice, which I half expected to be cold and cautious.

"Yes? Can I help you?" I nodded.

"Yeah…would you know where Makoto Unizagi's room is?" She looked down at the clipboard in her arms.

"Makoto Uni- Oh that's right, Room G45. Are you related to him?" I nodded a yes.

"He's my younger brother; I've just come to visit with him." She smiled warmly, her tensed posture fading.

"Well, it's nice that you've come to visit him. Follow me, I'll show you to his room." And so I followed her. She didn't say too much on the way to the room however. She stuck her head into G45.

"Makoto?"

"Yes Shia?" I heard my brother answer from inside.

"Um…" she turned back to me. "I'm sorry; I didn't get your name."

"Mimiko." I responded.

"A...Mimiko is here to see you." She waited his approval for a moment, before stepping aside.

"Go on in" I thanked her and went in. Makoto perked up upon seeing me.

"Mimiko!" I smiled.

"Hey there Kiddo. How you feeling?" I greeted. Makoto shrugged.

"Okay, Mommy said I may even be able to get out of the hospital to go to the park tomorrow!" I situated myself in the chair next to him.

"Well I think that's great! See? Better and better every day." He nodded.

"But that's not the best part!" He continued to go on about how the nurses said he might be able to eat ice cream, and how he thought one of the candy striper's little sister's were cute, and he indulged himself, telling me everything.

It was about two hours later when I decided to leave. I bid my goodbye to Makoto, and went back outside, deciding to take the side door out of the hospital.

"Have a good day." I jumped. Leaning against the wall behind me, was the candy striper from earlier.

"Oh Um…thank you…" Creepy? Yes. I had not sensed the girl's presence at all. On my way home, my cell phone went off.

"Hello?" I asked once I picked it up.

"Mimiko, Botan gave me this video thing about an hour, she said that we have to watch it, and then she said something about meeting us later." Yusuke answered from the other line.

"A…Video?" I inquired.

"Yeah…but uh… My VCR isn't very good….think we can use yours?" I winced.

"I guess but…"

"Great! I'll go over to your house in an hour!" I blinked and closed the phone as soon as I heard the hum of the open line.

"…But my father doesn't like any boys over my house except for Shin…" I muttered to myself, shoving the back into my pocket. Once home, I waited for Yusuke in the Foyer. Not even bothering to knock, Yusuke swung the door open, a video in his hands.

"Thanks for knocking." I stated bluntly.

"You're welcome, now let's go." He replied, grabbing my arm and leading me off to my room, of course, having no idea where it was. I ended up dragging him there, sitting him on a cushion in front of my television. He gave me the tape and I fed it into the VCR. After quite the dramatic intro to the video, Koenma's face appeared on the screen.

"Yusuke, Mimiko, I hope you realize I'm giving you a very important case." He began as I sat next to Yusuke.

"And this won't be very easy. I need you to rescue a very important member to demonic society." Yusuke looked at me.

"What is he talking about?" I shrugged, giving him a look that told him I knew about as much as he did. We watched as Koenma continued.

"She's the princess to a rare breed of demons, and marks one of the last of the royals of her breed. The eagle demons have been scarcely seen since their king and queen died in a raid on their kingdom. There were four children, and all escaped, three escaped somewhere into demon world, but one was believed to have escaped to the living world, This one being the one I'd like you to look for."

"How much trouble could she be in..? She's in Living world after all…" I questioned quietly to myself.

"We believe that someone from demon world is after her. She seems calm and cooperative on the outside, but on the inside, she's a bit of a firecracker, and not easy to take down I'm afraid. I'd like her Alive if you will. We'll have spirit world officials on the lookout for whoever's after her, but you need to find her before they do." A picture appeared on the screen, and I could have died….again. Her eyes and hair were both and unnatural purple, and her disposition was calm. I was positive this was the same candy striper from the city hospital.

"What I'd like you to do is coax her into coming to Spirit world with Botan, so she can be put under guard until whoever is looking for her is apprehended. This demon is out to kill her, so please, try and make this case a hasty one!" The video faded to fuzz, and I stood up slowly.

"Yusuke…" He stood up, dusting off his pants as he did.

"What?"

"That princess, I know where she is…" He blinked.

"How?" I strolled over to Niko's cage, staring absently at the rabbit inside.

"I was at the hospital visiting my little brother earlier, and a girl, she looked just like that, and she was a candy striper there. Chances are, she's still there." Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"So what? Doesn't mean that's the demon we're looking for." Sighing, I turned back to him.

"But the weirdest part was," I went on," That normally, I'm good at sensing people when they are around me…I couldn't sense her presence at all..." Yusuke's previously confused and seemingly angry look softened.

"Okay. Well, I guess we can go check it out, but I still doubt she's the right girl…" I shook my head.

"We should go any-"

"Mimiko? Is that you?" I heard from downstairs.

"Crap! My Father's home!" I quickly whispered, grabbing Yusuke by his shoulder, and shoving him into my closet,

"What are you?!-"I quickly closed the curtains. At that point, my father entered the room.

"Mimiko? Oh there you are!" I waved in response. He looked at my T.V.

"Mimiko, is something wrong with the Television?" I shook my head innocently. I heard Yusuke shift in the closet and my father snap to attention.

"What was that?" I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.

"Um…I think one of my coats fell…" After a few minutes of arguing with my father about there being nothing in my closet, I thanked him for worrying, and pushed him out my door. I opened the curtains and got Yusuke from his crammed in position.

"Well thanks for the warning." I rolled my eyes, and opened my window.

"Do I have to go out the hard way?" I only nodded slowly and threw a rope at him.


	10. Carried Away

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**Chapter 10: Carried Away

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**Date: ****February**** 21st****, 2002

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The overcast sky had become more and more violent looking, ready to spill out over the town in a heartbeat.

"Maybe…this isn't a good Idea… Approaching her like this…" I suggested. Yusuke rolled his eyes

"You're the one who suggested going to the stupid hospital to begin with!" Thunder cracked through the air, making me lose my train of thought.

"Still though…" Yusuke sighed.

"Look Mimiko. Now that you've said it, we're going." I groaned as he dragged me along. We soon arrived at our Destination, for me, for the second time that day: The city hospital. Yusuke and I stepped inside, and I promptly started looking for the candy striper I believed to be the princess we were looking for.

"Excuse me?" She turned around, seemingly skittish when she heard my voice.

"Oh uhm…I'm sorry…visiting hours are almost over…" She replied.

"Um…I'm actually here to see you." Her eyes stop flailing wildly, and she calmed. That's when I noticed she had a black eye.

"If that's the case, give me a moment…" she stepped back and ran off into some hospital room.

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**Normal P.O.V **

Shia ran into the hospital room G2, Stopping when she came close to a red haired boy, about a year older than herself, caring for his sick mother, confined to her hospital bed.

"Suichi?" She questioned softly. The boy turned.

"Yes?" Shia looked at him, then his mother.

"Visiting hours will be over soon…" She reminded him. He nodded, looking back at his mother to find her asleep.

"Thank you." She nodded curtly and ran out, darting in and out of hospital rooms that were occupied by visitors. She finally finished, and returned to the girl waiting to talk to her.

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**Back to Mimiko's P.O.V**

The Candy Striper had finally returned, after running from hospital room to hospital room.

"Now, what did you need me for?" Yusuke stood at my side, for once remaining silent.

"I need to talk abou-"

"Where did you get that black eye from?" I was cut off abruptly by Yusuke, who was now examining her, tense. Now I sensed her Aura. It was becoming as cold and empty as it was when I first saw her.

"I…That's really none of your business." Yusuke said nothing, but dragged her after him, to the hospital rooftop.

"Yusuke! You're going to get in trouble!" I chased after him, and crashed into someone.

"Ow! I'm so sorry, I-" I froze. The person I had bumped into, his aura was similar to the girl's, cold, but there was something there and I couldn't tell what it was. He looked soft, but his Aura was intimidating. His emerald green eyes were intimidation enough. Before he could answer, I ran off, after Yusuke.

"Can you stop crapping around and tell me who you are?!" Yusuke had the girl cornered by the time I got up to the roof. And she seemed scared, her fear racing and evident in her eyes.

"Yusuke stop it!" I called. Yusuke looked over at me, but pretended like I said nothing.

"I-I don't need to tell you." Yusuke growled. Pushing her against the wall of the doorway box. And that's when everything changed. Her aura suddenly turned dark, and that's what made Yusuke back off. Wings sprouted from her back, fox ears and a tail quickly appearing as well.

"I told you to let go of me." Her voice was colder now, all softness and sweet personality leaving her at that moment.

"Are you the princess? The one they say escaped to living world?" She looked at me as I asked the question. She could tell I was nervous.

"Yes. I'm Shea. What the hell is it to you?" Yusuke smirked.

"Seems like Mimiko's hunch was right." He responded, stepping out in front of me.

"You'll stay away from me, if you know what's good for you." She warned. Yusuke stepped closer.

"And if you know what's good for you, you'd come with us." She shook her head.

"What do you know about me?" Yusuke laughed, it was cold, but a laugh.

"I know that someone's after you and that black eye seems like some evidence you know that too." She growled.

"You could very well be the one after me, for all I know. And right now, you're a threat to me. So allow me to rid myself of you!" Her wings glew a rainbowish color, sharp shards flying from them, glowing with her energy.

"Rainbow shards!" Yusuke pushed me to the floor, and the shards flew into the opposite wall, turning into regular stones of some sort, the rainbow radiation now gone from them.

"Quite an attack, you know, I'd be a shame if I had to hit you. But I'm just letting you know, it isn't my problem if you get hurt. Most guys don't want to hit a girl, but I don't really care." He ran at her, and she took off into the air, sending more shards and ripping into his shirt with them.

"Yusuke!" I shouted, not sure if he was okay or not. He held his shoulder.

"I'm fine."

"Not for long." Shea commented, sending another barrage of shards at Yusuke. Yusuke managed to dodge again. He needed to get her to come to the ground, and fast. The sky suddenly ripped apart, the rain pouring down on the three of us, thunder and lightning crackling and ripping through the air.

"Guys, stop fighting!" I shouted. But that was in vain.

"Come on you freaking bird! Come at me!" Yusuke yelled over the thunder, Shea's expression looking angrier by the second. She complied with his wish and flew downward, allowing him to deliver a punch to her stomach. He continued an onslaught to her stomach, and she slid back, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth. Not being able to keep watching Yusuke lose even more of her trust, I stepped in. Shea breathed heavily, trying to regain the wind knocked out of her.

"Stop it Yusuke!" Yusuke suddenly seemed to come to a realization of what he was doing, and quickly his stance changed. I ran over to Shea.

"Shea…I know this seems like we are your attackers, but we aren't. Yusuke was defending himself!" shea pushed away my attempt to help her.

"Get away!"

"No! Look, I know you're scared of us. But right now, you should be fearing even more is the demon or person, or whatever the hell is really out there to get you!" Shea breathed in, and then looked at me, as she wasn't before.

"I'm not scared of you…or anyone, but if you wish, I'll listen." So, we got Shea out of the rain, and into the hospital, where lied to the doctor still on the job, saying that she simply was blown into something that bruised her stomach, and Yusuke and I were trying to help.

"Look, I'm sorry about getting carried away out there." Yusuke said once the doctors had finished their work on Shea. She shook her head.

"It's okay. It was actually my fault. I hit you without thinking." I sighed. At least we had gotten her to listen, and hopefully now, we could catch a break once bringing her to Koenma. Somehow, I knew I'd be coming home late that night.


	11. The Artifact Thieves! The Trio!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**Chapter 11: The Artifact Thieves! First case as a Trio!

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**Date: February 22n****d****, 2002

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Somehow, in the interim of getting to Spirit world with Botan and bringing Shea to Koenma, Getting shouted at by my father for coming home past curfew, and my going to bed, Yusuke and I had gained a new teammate. Shea had refused to gain the protection she needed from Spirit World, and at the same time, Yusuke had an Idea. He suggested that she join us in our Spirit detective work. He mentioned that her flying ability, and speed would assist us wonderfully later on. Botan also threw in her rare energy would be a huge plus. Shea seemed hesitant at first, but like she does with everyone else, Botan managed to rope her into joining, since she'd be protected without being constantly followed by spirit world guards all the time. Shea made something clear to us. Her living world Alias was Shia, and though it's only a one letter difference from Shea, we still had to call her Shia in front of normal humans. After we had agreed, that concluded our Sunday.

And then Monday morning came. It's only, in reality, been about three days since Yusuke and I went through the trail to get our lives back, but it seems like weeks since then. But as all Monday morning mean, this one certainly meant the same thing: Back to School. I groaned, rolling onto my side and looking at my alarm clock. 6Am. _Peck, peck, peck…. _I sat up and looked to the direction of my window. Riki sat outside, seemingly cooing. I threw the covers back and walked over to the window, unlatching the hook and throwing the window wide open, allowing Riki to fly in and perch on my shoulder.

"Giving me a wakeup call Riki?" I questioned, scratching Riki's head Softly.

"Riki…" She cooed. I let her fly around the room while I made my way through my school morning routine. Take a shower, pull on a fresh school uniform, check my bag while snacking on a piece of toast, and head out the door. My father, fancy chauffeur dude, and the limo were waiting outside. I rolled my eyes at the extravagance of the vehicle before sliding inside next to my father.

"To Sariyaski Junior High." My father instructed the chauffer, who I guessed was new. The Limo started up and began down the block. I listened to my father go on about the weather, and then-

"Dad! Stop the Car!" Confused, my father instructed the driver to stop, and I lowered the window.

"Shia!" She stopped walking and looked over to me. Her appearance was a lot different to what she had been like in the hospital. Her hair was straight, coming to the length of her elbows, and was neatly brushed, not in a ponytail like before, and she was in a lavender colored boy's uniform on, which confused me a little… but not like I minded."Oh, hey. That's quite a fancy car you have there. I looked back at my father, who just nodded.

"Shia, which schools do you go to?"

"Meio Academy." She answered. I opened the door.

"Need a ride?" She seemed hesitant for a moment, but too my offer and got into the car beside me.

"Meio Academy." My father stated. Once the Limo was moving, my father turned to Shea, smiling kindly.

"You're a friend of Mimiko's?" He questioned once the Limo became steady in its speed. Shea looked thoughtful, then nodded.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Unizagi." She said softly.

"Likewise…Um…is there any reason you're wearing a boys uniform?"

"Father!" I protested. Shea held a hand out in front of me.

"It's okay." She almost grinned at my father before continuing.

"I used to wear the girl's uniforms, but… I had sort of a risk of getting hurt wearing…those kind of uniforms in my neighborhood…"  
"Is it a dangerous area?" Shia shook her head.

"No, it's a wonderful neighborhood, it's just some not so great people live in it… I normally walk home with my brother and the neighbor boy, but one day… The science club had asked my friend to stay behind, and my brother got detention for something he did… and, well-"She couldn't seem to get out exactly what had happened, but my father had guessed.

"I'm very sorry for asking, and thank you for telling me." Shea dismissed it.

"Oh no, it's okay, I'm actually glad you asked, most people just assume I wear this because I either want to be a complete freak or because I'm in love with my best friend, because it's one of his uniforms…my brother…Heheh… he wouldn't let me borrow one of his."

"Meio Academy!" The Chauffer announced, getting out and opening the door for Shea. I opened the window after she got out and she bowed great fully.

"See ya." She said to me, before running over to two boys. One had Blonde hair and brown eyes. The other, was the exact same one I crashed into in the hospital the other day. There was an even stranger Aura around him today, like he was about to do something he was set on doing. And after bowing to Shea, and the blonde haired boy saying something to make her blush a deep red color, the other boy bowed to them and ran off. I didn't have too much more time to see what direction he was off in, because after that, the Limo took off again.

"That friend of yours…" My father started.

"What about her?" I asked, fidgeting in my seat. He sighed, looking out his tinted window.

"She was kidnapped." My eyes widened.

"How do you know?" He shook his head.

"Mimiko, I saw the expression in her eyes when she stopped talking. She was scared. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable. It's either that or…"

"Or what?" He turned away, as if he didn't want to say anymore.

"Or what?!" I insisted. He didn't answer. We then arrived soon after, at Sariyaski, which was considerably smaller than Meio, but then again, Sariyaski was no academy. I thanked the Chauffer after he let me out at the school, saying goodbye to my father as well, after he warned me to be cautious. I only shook my head, before walking into the gates of the school. People I knew started welcoming me back, as I was declared missing last Monday. Apparently, it had been on the news.

"Mimi!" Before I could figure out who had called me by my nickname, I was tackled to the ground, and had no need to try and figure it out anymore.

"Kouhei!" I noticed the excitement and confusion that shone in her Maroon eyes.

"What happened all those days you were gone?!" She then went on to tell me how many times she tried to call me.

"I'm sorry…And the news was wrong…I wasn't missing…I was…away." I replied. She helped me off the ground and we hurried inside.

"Where's Shi?" She questioned to herself, or me, with Kouhei, you could never really tell. I felt an arm sling over my shoulders, and Kouhei yelped as she received the same feeling.

"Trio's here huh?" I recognized the voice right away. Shin.

"Shi!" Kouhei exclaimed, her funny yelp making Shin and I laugh.

"Shin, don't you have some place to be… like, English class?" Shin rolled his eyes and groaned.

"But we're taking a test on the Heart of Darkness, and it's so lame! I wasn't paying attention to the book. My friend Keiko tried to tell me about it… but that didn't help too much." I smiled as he said Keiko was his friend. I wondered if any problems would arise if I met Keiko. That and if Yusuke would even think of introducing me to Keiko.

"Can you even remember the author?" Kouhei offered.

"No." Kouhei stopped.

"Mimi, it's schedule B today, which means we have Mr. Iwamouto first!" I slapped my forehead. Both Kouhei and I happened to dislike Mr. Iwamouto. Greatly and with good reason. He picks on all the kids that enjoy slacking off in class, and even though I didn't know Yusuke before the day I died, I saw how Iwamouto treated him in the hallways, and it made me sick. People like that just have the tendency to piss me off. Kouhei and I told Shin we'd see him later, and shuffled off to Iwamouto's classroom.

"Miss Unizagi, it's good to see you've returned." Iwamouto said as I entered class.

"Thank you Mr. Iwamouto Sir." I said politely, rolling my eyes as I turned to sit down. Kouhei sat in the seat next to me, and we opened our books. My thoughts as Mr. Iwamouto taught, shifted to Yusuke. I stared out the window at the Tennis court, which was occupied by the first period gym class. I had gym fifth period. The same gym class as Yusuke, which was one of only two classes I knew I had with him. The other was Math, but he always skipped that class. Sure…He always skipped gym class too…but I knew he hung out on the roof when he did. That's where I'd go today. Sixth period was math, and I had figured I'd attempt dragging him to it. The next sound that came to my ears was Mr. Iwamouto slamming a ruler onto my desk.

"Unizagi!" I snapped to attention.

"Yes?!" He removed the ruler from my desk.

"Kindly repeat what I just said." I blinked.

"I…um…Don't know Sir…" Iwamouto pointed the giant ruler at me.

"This class, is a prime example of what happens when you don't pay attention." As I tried to contemplate what he meant by that, the bell rang. I was the first one to jet out of class. Kouhei caught up to me though.

"This class, is a prime example of what happens when you don't pay attention." Kouhei mocked, making me laugh when her voice went down in pitch. We went through the next three periods pretty quickly. Each teacher I had welcomed me back, especially Mr. Takanaka. His class was probably the class I enjoyed the most. What I did not enjoy however, was that I had Iwamouto again for math, with Yusuke. But finally, fifth period came, and I dressed in my gym uniform, as usual, but this time, I made my way up to the roof of the school. And that happens to be exactly where I found him, staring at some sort of monocle… thingy.

"Yusuke?" He looked up at me, then back down at the item in his hands.

"Hey." I folded my arms across my chest.

"Skipping again? And what is that supposed to be?" I bent down next to him.

"Some Spy glass thing that Botan gave me last night. It's supposed to see right through all kinds of things." He held it to his eye, and looked at me. Once I realized his area of focus was my shirt, I slapped him.

"Idiot."

"Botan did that to me yesterday!"

"And with good reason!" I sighed.

"I wonder if that means we'll be looking at another case soon."

"Maybe." He answered, stowing the spy glass in his pocket. He then spread out next to me and began to nap. This only made me wonder more why I decided to come up to the roof in the first place. After he woke up, we headed off to room 2-B which was our math class. Yusuke yawned as he entered the room, me behind him.

"I'm here." Everyone looked back at him. Shin was there too, but he seemed nervous, trying to pretend he was focused on the book in his hands. The room fell silent, all eyes on Yusuke. He was about to sit down, then noticed the looks he was getting.

"Alright, what's with the staring?" Keiko, who was seated next to Shin, gasped, and ran beside Yusuke, opposite to the side I was on.

"You think Yusuke took those things?! He's no thief!" I was about to ask her about the things she mentioned, but another student cut me off.

"He's a thug Keiko, and I don't know if there is much of a difference, he did Skip gym." I stepped in at this point.

"I wasn't in gym either; I was with Yusuke the entire gym period. He was up on the roof napping." I looked at Keiko, hurt suddenly evident in her eyes.

"I had to ask him if he still had my math textbook from last week." Before anyone could say anything, Iwamouto slid open the classroom door.

"Hey! What's this Racket all about?" He questioned. He dragged me and Yusuke to the office once he heard the story from the other students.

"Hey, I had nothing to do with it so let go of me!" Yusuke shouted. Iwamouto gave him a punch to the face.

"Don't Lie!" I growled.

"Sir, he had nothing to do with it!"

"Stop protecting him!" Mr. Takanaka took over.

"Iwamouto! I trust you found evidence before punishing?" the slime ball nodded.

"Yes. There was no trouble while he was gone, and now that he's back, look what we have." I stepped forward.

"But he didn't!-"Iwamouto shoved me backwards into Mr. Takanaka before turning to Yusuke.

"Yusuke and Mimiko were the only ones skipping gym while the items were stolen. While I have no reason to believe Mimiko helped Yusuke, she's defending him more than she should be. Yusuke must have learned his tricks from his tramp mother." Yusuke fists curled at the comment, I knew that nothing I could say or do would stop him, and punching Mr. Iwamouto would put him out of school here forever. Apparently from the smirk on Iwamouto's face, he knew that as well.

"You can…do whatever you want to me…but don't talk about my mother!" As he was about to deliver the punch, everything froze in the room but me and Yusuke and Koenma appeared in a flash.

"Yusuke! Mimiko!" Yusuke was shocked.

"Koenma?!"

"Have I got a big case for you! Three criminals broke into Spirit world and stole the artifacts of darkness from my father's vault, then escaped to living world!" How did I see that coming? Yusuke blinked.

"Can't you see I'm busy with this asshole here?!" He abruptly covered his mouth, looking to the frozen Iwamouto. Koenma reassured him that he couldn't see or hear anything right now. Yusuke sighed in relief.

"Anyway, can't you call back later or something?!" Koenma became angry.

"Stupid! This is much more important! If these artifacts are used to their full power, living world will be in a state of mass chaos and suffering! Lost lives, captured souls, and a bunch of other unhappy things! Got it?!" Yusuke refused.

"I'm not going anywhere for some dumb theft case until I clear up my own okay?" Koenma pointed to Iwamouto.

"Well there's your culprit right there! Take out your Psychic Spyglass and look into his left pocket." Yusuke took it out, and I ran to his side, looking through it with him. Iwamouto had all the stolen items!

"I don't believe it!"

"Now hurry up and do your thing!" Koenma made time start again, and Yusuke went to work digging into Iwamouto's pocket. From it, he pulled what he wanted. A golden fountain pen.

"An explanation Mr. Iwamouto?" Takanaka Demanded. Iwamouto, freaking sly cat, had a comeback for that. He explained Yusuke slipped it into his pocket, then said he was so mad, he couldn't look at Yusuke anymore, and went to leave.

"Hold on, Iwamouto! I'm afraid we have more to discuss!" Takanaka went after Iwamouto, and Koenma appeared beside Yusuke and I.

"He really tried to set me up!"

"You've been freed from the charge…now go to work!" We turned to Koenma.

"Okay, I'll get to it. But before that, he pays." Koenma shook his head, as did I.

"That's not smart Yusuke, assaulting a teacher once you've been set free." Koenma mentioned. Yusuke sighed.

"But I can't let him go like that!"

"Then attack him invisibly."

"….Give me a break do I look invisible to you?!" Koenma shrugged.

"It's one of your new abilities. Try to take control of your spirit energy and gather it into your right index finger." Yusuke concentrated on his finger, and it began to glow blue. Similar to what happened with my hands the night my house was robbed.

"Hey, it's getting warm!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Good, now all you need to do is aim and shoot. Just imagine the trigger, and pull."

"Pull huh?" Yusuke aimed his finger at Iwamouto's back. He eventually got it, blue energy pulsing from his finger, grazing Mr. Takanaka's shoulder, and hitting Iwamouto. Takanaka ran to Iwamouto's side. Yusuke looked stunned.

"It worked." Koenma only nodded.

"It's your Spirit Gun."

"My what?" Koenma turned to me.

"It's like your Tomoshibi-Mari." I snapped my fingers.

"Oh yeah!" Yusuke blinked.

"So you can do something like I just did too?" I nodded a positive. Koenma then explained about our spirit energy, and how we became more aware of it as ghosts. He also mentioned we could only fire our attacks once a day until we became stronger, and may need to rely on Shea to deliver more than one attack per fight. He then took us to a shed outside the school.

"The Shadow Sword will make a monster out of whomever it cuts, the Forlorn Hope emits a cryptic power at full moon, and the Orb of Baas can capture living souls, especially souls of children."

"Cheery. Who came up with that one?" Yusuke commented once Koenma was done telling us what the artifacts we were to recover were.

"Understand you two these items were forged from the darkness and prey on the weak and defenseless. They were created Eons ago and serve vital roles in balancing life. But in the wrong hands they can destroy and do no good. Get them Yusuke, Mimiko, as living Humans, you two along with Shea are the best chance we've got to capture these three thieves." Yusuke became confident.

"Don't say anything more. "He stood up, and then helped me get up as well. "You brought us back to life, so I guess we should do something Useful to earn out keep. Right Mimiko?" I nodded.

"Right." He bowed to us.

"It's in your hands, spirit detectives." After he had told us where the thieves might be hiding, we headed off to get Shea, and to start the first case as a team of three.

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**A/N: Mmk, long chapter, and if you're wondering about the date at the top, I've updated all the chapters with a date, just so you can all tell how much time has passed between chapters.**


	12. The First of Three: Gouki! Blinded!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**Chapter 12: The First three: Gouki! Permanently Blind?!

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**Date: February 22****nd****, 2002

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"Okay, so, you guys make me leave school during my study hall, so we can track down some Demons who have a bunch of old junk?" Shea asked with her arms behind her head in a casual fashion as we made our way to the shopping center of uptown. I shrugged.

"Well, you know Koenma did say these Items were important. If these Demons use them, it could mean trouble for living world." She was listening, I could tell, but the look in her eyes was distant as she nodded in a response. Yusuke picked up on it, placing his hand on her head.

"What's the matter with you?" He questioned. She sighed, removing his hand from her hair.

"It's just…my friend left school this morning, right after Mimiko dropped me off."

"_Wow, quite a ride you had there huh?" Shea's brother Bruno had said to her after she had gotten over to him._

"_That was my friend's." Bruno leaned in, cupping her ear._

"_You know, maybe you and Shuichi should get something private like that, then-"his whisper was cut off._

"_Bruno!" Her face turned deep red in color. Shuichi cleared his throat and Shea turned._

"_Good morning Shuichi." He smiled and returned the greeting, and then suddenly, he frowned, looking out into the woods that bordered the school, and then ran off, leaving the brother and sister Duo confused._

"Well that's…weird." Yusuke commented after hearing the story. Things became silent until we managed to get to the uptown market area.

"Look at all these rich kids….Shopping even during school. It makes me sick." I rolled my eyes as we came to a bench.

"Koenma said we could find them in uptown, that's where he tracked them." I reminded him. He sighed and leaned back on the bench, closing his eyes. Looking around, I was nervous. My Father's friends could be here, or worse, he could be here himself. Shea looked about to say something, but she was interrupted by a commotion.

"Son! Son! Please wake up!" Yusuke's eyes' opened, and the three of us were on our feet in a minute. Making our way through the crowd that had gathered, we saw a little boy on the ground, his Grandfather and Father trying to wake him. Something weird, a little puff of smoke seemed to be rising from the boy's body. I thought about what Koenma said about the Orb of Baas, and how it could take a child's soul. I started to wonder if that was a soul. Shea surveyed the area. Being an eagle demon, her eyes were keen; she could see nearly two miles in front of her, being there are no obstructions in the way. Being part fox heightened her hearing too.

"Yusuke" She called gently. She pointed us to a man, heading into an alleyway. He was tall, and bulky. His skin was very pale. But what got me going was his energy. It was Demonic, just like Shea's. He was a demon.

"What's so special about him?" Yusuke questioned. I shook my head.

"He's a Demon." Shea replied flatly. I looked to Yusuke.

"Good enough reason to trail?" He shrugged and ran down the Alley, Shea and I exchanged Glances, and then followed. Uptown had turned to the slums fast. Vandalized building backs, and poor street thugs lined the square we stopped in. But we did see the man we wanted to see. I only now noticed the horns on his head.

"Check him with the Spyglass." I whispered. Yusuke took the Spyglass out and looked through it. And in his pocket-

"He's got the Orb of Baas!" Yusuke whispered sharply. But as soon as Yusuke and I had established this-

"He went off into the woods." Shea mentioned blandly.

"What?! Damn you! You could have told me earlier!" Yusuke growled. Shea just shrugged her shoulders.

"Stop yelling at me, and go after him." As if the weather was trying to tell us to turn around, it started to rain. Shea and I started to run, but Yusuke got cut off by the thugs.

"Yusuke!"

"Go on ahead!" He instructed. I nodded, and Shea and I took off again.

"Where do you think he could have gone?" Shea questioned. I shook my head, having no idea.

"How about we check the place where it isn't raining, Suspicious enough?" I glared at her, and we reset a course for the only bright place in the rainy forest. We came upon a bush, and Shea stopped dead. The same man we saw, was about to punch someone. The boy, her Friend, apparently named Shuichi. But-

"Excuse me neighbors!" Both he and the man, and the third guy that was there, who was very short, and had some freaky looking black hair, turned.

"Maybe next time you guys go around stealing ancient artifacts, you should find some place to hide where it's not so obviously sunny. Just a tip." It was Yusuke! The shortest one growled.

"Who are you? And how do you know about the artifacts?"

"Give us your name." The tallest ordered. Yusuke smirked.

"Oh thank you, hoped you'd ask. Hello boys! The names Yusuke and I'm a Spirit detective." At this point, once I had gotten Shea to move, we stumbled out of the bushes.

"Ouch…" Shea and I groaned. Yusuke pointed to us.

"And my not so coordinated companions here are my teammates, Shea and Mimiko." I got up.

"How you- ouch… doing?" Shea did not get up from the floor. I looked over at Shuichi, who had glanced at her, but had not made any obvious reactions to finding her here.

"Spirit Detectives?!" the tall one growled.

"Don't worry; they are just Koenma's fools. They must have been the only ones he could round up, their energies are pathetic." The shorter one assured him. Shuichi's frown fell even deeper, and he turned to leave. This pissed off Yusuke.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Shuichi didn't even turn back.

"Sorry, I do not have time to be arrested." And with that, he disappeared.

"Stop! Kurama! You can't just walk out on our plan!" The shorter one yelled. Wait…Kurama? I thought he was Shuichi… The short one jumped up, and was gone before my eyes could follow.

"Hey don't leave yet guys…we just got here!" Yusuke commented. I helped Shea off of the ground. We were left with the man who held the Orb of Baas.

"So much for manners." He sighed out. The man chuckled.

"Don't worry, I'm much more polite than those two brats, I'll turn myself in nice and neat if I can't rip off your heads!" Yusuke scoffed.

"Sounds like a deal, just try not to pull my hair." The man stepped forward, and Shea and I took two steps back. Yusuke stood his ground.

"Yusuke…." Shea warned shakily. The man told Yusuke to wait, and pulled out the Orb of Baas. He smirked and pulled a soul out of it, his talk of not having to cook making me nervous. The soul wriggled in his hand. Yusuke freaked when he did the next thing. He ate it.

"Monster! Spit it out!" Yusuke landed a kick right to the guys Stomach. The soul came back out, and Yusuke punched the guy across the face again so the soul could get away. We watched as the man fell to the ground, and the soul floated away, back to its body. The rain suddenly came down. The three of us, thinking we beat the man, went and retrieved the Orb, now confident we could regain the other items too. I freaked when I felt an energy behind us, and we all jumped back.

"Oh my goodness!" I exclaimed. It was the man again. I hadn't even heard him come up from behind us.

"For a human, your decent." Yusuke told him to get back on the ground, because he hit him too hard for the guy to be up. He mentioned his name was Gouki, before glowing red, releasing energy. His hair grew longer, his skin became orange, his clothes, except his pants, ripped off, and horns and teeth and the whole show sprouted from him. He became a giant.

"We might be in trouble…" Yusuke said softly. Gouki raised his giant hand, taking a swing at Yusuke. Shea reacted quickly, pushing us out of the way. She was knocked backwards and her scream pierced through the sound of the rain rushing through my ears. She crashed right through a tree, which broke with the impact from her body.

"Shea!" I shouted, running over to her. Yusuke was speechless a moment. I lifted her head, and gasped. The left side of her face was covered in blood, a huge gash across her eye. She had passed out after the impact from the tree.

"Yusuke…" Yusuke dodged an attempt made to slash him by Gouki.

"Mimiko, get her to a hospital now! I'll keep Ugly here busy!" I could only nod, and try to run with Shea's weight on my back. I was eventually met with a man after getting out of the forest.

"What happened to this girl?!" He demanded. I was panicking by now, tears staining my cheeks; I had no idea what to do.

"Please! Help her! She needs to get to the hospital! Please!" I shouted. The man complied with me and he took me to the hospital in his car. He ran out to get the doctors to bring her in.

"You'll be alright Shea…You're strong…" I said, trying to calm myself. The doctor's came, and took her inside.

"This is one of our Candy stripers… "One of them mentioned. They said they'd alert her family, and I waited. I worried about Yusuke, and if I should have left him there alone with Gouki.

"Mimiko" I was thrown out of my thoughts by a familiar voice. My mother stood there, confused. I threw myself at her, breaking down.

"Mother…." I explained my friend had been in an 'accident'

"You did the right thing Mimiko…taking her here." I only nodded. A doctor who had been working on Shea came out of the room they had taken her in. I sat up.

"How is she?" The doctor looked down at the clipboard.

"She will make a good recovery…" I got closer to him.

"Good? Why not full….?" He looked away from me.

"That Gash in her eye was too deep…. Her sight will never return to her in that eye, and she will never be able to see out of that eye again."

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**A/N: Goodness, such a mean author aren't I? Don't worry….I'll do something for Shea….Later on.**


	13. Kurama's Kind Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**Chapter 13: Kurama's Kind Heart

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_**Date: February 23**__**rd**__**, 2002

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"So…That's it is it? Blinded?" Shea questioned me after she had woken up the next morning. My father, despite all the school I'd missed, had given me the day to sit with my friend after thinking I witnessed some kind of horrible incident, that would scar me for life if I didn't have time to rest. I looked down at my palms, and nodded.

"Yes… They said that it'd never heal again." She didn't cry. She didn't say much more about it, it was almost like; there were no emotions over it. She was like a rock. Her aura didn't even waver.

"I guess that's how it has to be." I blinked, bewildered at her words.

"What do you mean? You have no feelings over this at all? You had a wonderful advantage with your sight fully-"

"Enough!" She snapped. I quieted down; she closed the eye that wasn't covered up by bandages.

"Look, it was my careless mistake. I miscalculated Gouki's blow. I thought it was going to run across Yusuke's chest, and rip into his heart. But if all Gouki could do was take my sight away….he wouldn't have been able to penetrate Yusuke's chest cavity." That amazed me. I hadn't even though of what Gouki's strike could do to Yusuke's body. But even though she had made the wrong calculation, she had been quicker to defend Yusuke than I had.

"Shea… Sorry this-"She held her hand out in front of me.

"It's fine. Really…." I could tell she was thinking of something else, but I decided she had it bad enough, and I decided to ask no more questions. The hospital thankfully released Shea after her parents had come and we were able to go visit Yusuke, who Botan had told me, lost his fight to Gouki, but none of his injuries were life threatening. By the time he woke up, we were there; his mother Atsuko had been kind enough to allow Shea and I in after we identified ourselves. His mother smacked him for almost getting himself killed, and then explained Botan, who now had a human form, had carried him home. We got to talking once Atsuko had gone to make Tea.

"Hey Shea, thanks for…Back there…You know….and Sorry." Yusuke said, for once very sympathetic. His attitude on things was getting better, I noted. Shea looked away, and shrugged.

"Don't think too much of it. You don't have to be sorry." There was an awkward silence that followed before anyone spoke again.

"So...Botan, how'd you find me? I don't even think I knew where I was?" Yusuke asked. Botan smiled and pulled out a weird red and black watch.

"Nothing too special, I just used this compass here to find Gouki." She explained to us this was the second spirit detective item, the Demon compass, and it could locate a demon from their energy. Yusuke took it from her, gazing at it a minute.

"This will make it easier to find them, but I think the problem comes when their in my face. Gouki was a lot stronger than I thought." Botan came out of her quiet state.

"The next two demons are a lot stronger and there's a catch. You three only have one week to retrieve the items."

"One week?!" I yelped. Yusuke shook his head.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Botan sunk against the wall. She just remained against the doorframe, unmoving and not saying a word.

"I know I should be encouraging the three of you but-"

"The odds aren't good." Shea finished for Botan. Botan nodded. We could do nothing but listen as Atsuko watched the news.

"And now, further coverage on the epidemic in gray corner. Four children from this quiet foresting town have fallen comatose in the last three hours. Doctors are afraid to diagnose these victims, because it is unlike anything they've ever seen before." It was disgusting, what Gouki was doing to these children.

"Officials are advising families to stay inside." Yusuke seemed as annoyed about all this as I was.

"Seems like Gouki's having his lunch." Botan nodded.

"In the past, he's taken souls more slowly, but with the Orb of Baas, he can take all he wants." Botan was silent for a moment, and Shea tried to look occupied.

"The souls he eats?" Yusuke started," How long before they're digested?" Botan pinned it on a day at the most. Yusuke threw his green jacket on as he got up.

"What are you going to do?"

"Rip open his stomach."

"But you aren't even recovered yet." Yusuke Clenched his fists, his voice trembling.

"I don't know a lot of things Botan, but isn't it better to die than to lose your soul? I mean, you can't even become a ghost, and I'd rather lose my body than let that happen to those kids" I nodded.

"Me too! I'm going to save those kids souls!" Shea nodded.

"Count me in. Even if I lose my other eye too, it's better than those children losing their souls, and future." Botan got up.

"Guys-"Yusuke held his fingers in a gun like fashion again.

"I haven't used my Spirit gun yet today." I looked down at my hands. I had not used the Tomoshibi-Mari for the past two days. I figured it might have gotten stronger after no use. Botan understood and held up two items. One was an ancient looking ring, and the other, looked like a bracelet. She explained both items, the concentration ring, and the power bangle, increased the power of our spirit energy seven fold.

"I was supposed to save these for when you powers became stronger, it will give your attacks a huge punch, but after you'll be totally exhausted. Only use your item as a last resort."

"Got it!" Both of us agreed. Shea didn't mind not receiving an item, she said her Shards were sharp enough alone anyway. Yusuke turned the compass on his wrist on, and we headed out. We located Gouki, and just in time to see him take another child's soul away from her.

"Gouki!" Yusuke shouted. He turned.

"We came all this way just to see you." Shea assured him.

"Idiots! Didn't you learn from what happened yesterday?!" We smiled at him.

"Sure we did-"I stared.

"We're just idiots." Yusuke finished, smirking. The sky became dark and Gouki transformed again, reverting to his full demon form again.

"You're becoming a bunch of pests…" Gouki commented. Shea stayed silent, and I could tell she was deep in thought once again. Yusuke suddenly ran at Gouki, and Shea took to the sky in her demon form. Feeling out of the loop, I ran after Yusuke, trying to see if I could tell what he was planning. He attempted to give him a solid punch to the stomach, but it failed. I attempted, but I too was knocked back. His skin was as hard as stone.

"For Spirit detectives, you don't know much, my skin is solid as rock, you can't hurt me!" He threw a punch at Yusuke, and Yusuke quickly dodged, and Gouki hit a tree, which fell with his force. I rolled out of the trees way. It was more of a thin tree, log like, but still dangerous. Yusuke wrapped his arms around it, and pulled it up ramming it into Gouki. It didn't affect him. Gouki picked up the log, Yusuke still holding fast to the other side. A pile of Shards came raining down onto Gouki, but Gouki treated it like raindrops. Shea came down, but in the wrong spot, Gouki Chucked the log, Yusuke fell to the floor and the log continued and hit Shea.

"Shea!" She lifted herself up.

"I'm fine Mimiko!" She assured me. I looked down at the Power Bangle, unsure of what to do. A Glance at Yusuke told me he wasn't sure whether to use his item either.

"Yusuke look out!" Shea's voice was clear cut. Gouki managed to get to Yusuke, and kicked him so hard, he slid across the forest floor. Shea and I both attempted to get over there; Gouki was pounding Yusuke's back repeatedly with his foot. But before we could even get up, Botan came charging out of nowhere, throwing a log at Gouki's back. It took his attention off of Yusuke, but now we had a new problem. His eyes were fixed on Botan, who stood frozen with fear and astonishment at what she had just done.

"Hey who the hell is she?!" Yusuke shouted.

"Forget about her she's nobody!" Botan made an attempt to run, but Gouki jumped and got in front of her, blocking escape. Shea flew up and landed in front of Botan, seemingly fearless as she attempted to push Gouki from Botan. Gouki growled.

"Girl, would you care to lose sight in your other eye too?" I had made it over to Yusuke, and Shea took Botan's hand and made a dash back to us. Gouki of course, followed them.

"Yes this way I can eat all four of you!" He grabbed Yusuke by his hair.

"Starting with my top offender!" He opened his mouth, and I guess this was a chance, Yusuke shoved a log into his mouth.

"It's about time! I've been waiting for you to open up your big fat mouth!" Shea and Botan smiled, knowing Yusuke had him now. Yusuke looked to me, and I understood, getting in back of Gouki, I felt my hands heat up, and I was ready to fire.

"The Skin on you- Whatever monsters may be hard as rock," He aimed his Spirit gun. "But I bet your insides aren't." the energy flowed through my Power Bangle, and I fired, declaring my attack as Yusuke did his. It was a double impact, Gouki didn't stand a chance. He fell over, and now I felt the exhaustion Botan had warned the two of us about. I sat down next to Yusuke, panting.

"Yusuke! Mimiko!" Botan and Shea sat on the ground next to us. Gouki's body glew a bright blue and four little souls came out. Yusuke counted as Shea and I watched Gouki's body disappear.

"You saved them all." Botan reassured. Shea and Botan held us up, and Yusuke glanced at the Orb of Baas. I understood. It took all we had to get one artifact back, getting the other two would probably only get even harder. It was around night when we reappeared into town. It was bustling with the night go-ers as usual. Shea supported me as I walked, since I was still exhausted, and Yusuke used a cane.

"Yusuke, can't you just admit it'd be easier to lean on my shoulder?" Botan asked, keeping her pace with ours, as Yusuke kept ahead of us.

"Right, can't you just admit that'd be embarrassing?" Botan sighed. And just out luck, the Demon Compass went off.

"What's up?" Botan asked once Yusuke had stopped, and we had all caught up to each other. Yusuke only looked around frantically. Shea seemed to be alert too, her aura becoming Nostalgic. It was how her Aura became when she first saw Kurama in the forest. I spotted him shortly after, His Red hair and Emerald eyes all too familiar by now. He continued to walk towards us, but however, his face showed no indication he was about to attack us. He in fact, walked past us, but a pang of energy hit me, and I felt Shea tense up as well.

"Don't worry; I have no intention of fighting you." His voice was smooth, not as hard and raspy as Gouki's had been. His calm air intimidated me, even if he was not attempting to do so. And somehow, he was reaching us through telepathy. I let myself get back to listening.

"I also do not intend to flee, in fact, I have come to ask a favor. "

"Are you crazy?" I heard Yusuke shout mentally. I understood now, that he was talking to the three of us, Yusuke, Shea and I, and we could talk back.

"Wha-What do you want exactly?" I asked quietly.

"Give me three days…After that I will gladly give you the Forlorn hope." And with that, he disappeared. We glanced at each other before returning the rest of the way to Yusuke's Apartment.

"Ow! Okay! Anymore Alcohol and I'll need a designated driver!" He blew on his skin where Botan had dabbed a cotton ball of peroxide.

"You know, this could be a trap." Botan warned as she began to treat Shea's more minor cuts and bruises. "It seems a little too easy."

"Huh?"

"It's no coincidence he asked for three more days, by then the moon will be full, and the powers of the Forlorn Hope will be at their maximum. When that happens, the mirror will reflect the strongest desire of whoever looks into it, and it's said the desire will be granted and the user must give something in return. Only few people know what that something is, and getting our mirror will be pointless if his wish destroys the earth." Shea had enough.

"Stop it!" she snapped. Botan looked over at her.

"Why? I'm just stating what would happen." Shea shook her head.

"He's not that kind of person, he's kind and he-"

"He also has the Forlorn Hope Shea, I'm aware that you know Kurama and he's a friend of yours, Koenma told me, but… he may seem like that person when speaking to you, He does not however, seem to be using this mirror for any old wish." Shea looked at her, her visible eye glinting with hurt.

"You don't know that this wish is going to-"

"Shea." Yusuke intervened. Since Shea, at the moment, would not let Botan touch her, I continued wrapping her wounds.

"It sounds like he could do all this himself, so why would he go out of his way to meet us?" He asked. Botan sighed.

"That's a good question." Yusuke looked out the window.

"I don't know, something tells me we should trust him Botan." Botan made an odd hand motion.

"What are you saying? Let's not forget his dear old teammate tried to rip you into little bits." He shook his head. When I was walking up they were having some sort of an argument." I remembered that. Kurama had told the others something about not wanting to be part of their plan anymore, then leaving. I nodded.

"His eyes... if I ever saw ones like them, they looked more sad than evil." I said quietly, noticing Shea had gone totally silent.

"I wish I knew more about this guy." Shea fell deeper into silence, and something told me were weren't going o get any information out of her.

"Yusuke I've made us some dinner!" Atsuko suddenly burst in, disrupting the short silence that had come over us.

"Will you be eating with us girls? There's plenty of food!" I nodded politely, as did Shea, Botan voiced our agreement to stay for us. Yusuke wasn't so polite however.

"Mom can't you knock we were in the middle of an important conversation!" I watched as a small argument between mother and child was sparked and was suddenly glad my mother was a workaholic and not a Lush.

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_**Date: February 24**__**th**__**, 2002

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We had dinner, went our separate ways, and returned to Yusuke's the following morning. I had avoided taking the limo to school and walked with Yusuke. After school, we headed over to the block before the hospital and Botan saw us off, warning us we were 'walking on eggshells'. We walked until we came to the front of the hospital.

"Here we are…" Commented Yusuke. I looked around for any sign of Kurama. And it didn't take long to find him. He was leaning against the Hospital entrance gate.

"Good. You came." We came to room 501, and unlike Yusuke and I, Shea didn't seemed confused as to why we were here. A weak, Black haired woman was laying in her bed, barley able to lift her head.

"Hey There. It's been a long time since you brought friends." She mumbled sweetly. Kurama went alert.

"It's all right mother, you don't have to get up…" Shea nodded.

"Yes Mrs. Minamino, you should rest…" She suggested.

"Shia? I thought you only came on the weekends…" Shea smiled; glad apparently that the woman had not realized her eye had been bandaged. I was still confused about Kurama calling her mother. The woman shook her head.

"It's not so bad; I'm feeling well today…" We sat for a few minutes while Kurama asked the woman questions.

"Shall I peel an apple for you?"

"No, I'm not hungry… "

"Please eat mother, you'll never get well without nutrition."

"I know Shuichi; it's just hard to remember all these things sometimes." I blinked…Shuichi? Whatever happened to Kurama? Shea didn't look as confused as the other two of us, but since she knew him, that was expected. The sun began to set by the time we were lead out onto the roof. It was cold, and seemed to affect Shea the most. She crossed her arms and sighed. Yusuke threw his jacket at her and she thanked him quietly, slipping it on. Kurama then began to explain.

"Shuichi is the name I have taken in my human form. That woman is my mother…. Sort of. My father passed away 15 years ago. For fifteen years, she has raised me, and I have deceived her." The three of us listened intently, though I was not sure why I listened at all. Weren't we supposed to be arresting him or something? Yusuke didn't seem to understand either.

"Sorry, I'm not following." Kurama didn't face us.

"My truest name is Yoko," Shea's chill seemed to grow at hearing the name, but still, she listened. "I was a fox. A Spirit fox gaining the powers of a demon over the hundreds of years that I lived. In that time I grew bored, and learned the art of breaking codes and seals. Ancient treasures were my favorite sport… But fifteen years ago I made a careless mistake, and was badly injured by a strong purser. With the last of my energy, I escaped to living world, and became the child of a proud human family. I knew if I could stand humanity for ten years, my spirit energy would have time to safely recover. And then I would escape." Shea looked from me to Yusuke, finding the confusion she had shared on our faces as well.

"I take it something went wrong?" Yusuke ventured.

"My mother fell ill." Kurama answered. "I know it, might sound foolish, but… I couldn't leave her, considering what she had done for me. That when they appeared."

"By they… you mean Gouki and the other man?" Shea asked, the first words she had spoken since she had advised Kurama's mother to rest. Kurama nodded.

"Hiei had somehow tracked me down needing my expertise, and then I remembered the powers of the forlorn hope." He looked at us, pausing only a moment. "Do you know in some species an animal eats it's mother…. Let me use the forlorn hope to save the woman's life, then I'll gladly accept my punishment." Yusuke looked confused once again.

"Why would a monster do that for a human?"

"He's not a monster!" I took Shea's arm in an effort to calm her outburst. Kurama only glanced at her a second, but her look suddenly became soft, and she looked away.

"Maybe because I'm guilty. Maybe I fell like I'm one of those mother devouring creatures. I have caused her great pains. It's hard to raise a child who thinks you're inferior. I feel like maybe in some way, I caused her disease. "

"Why are you telling us all this?" I asked. He smiled briefly.

"Maybe I just needed someone to know… Besides, I could tell that you would trust me." Silence devoured the rooftop, until-

"Shuichi! It's your mother!" A nurse burst out onto the roof, and Kurama became alarmed, we followed along after him as he fled down the steps.

"She's fallen into what we call the critical stage and to be completely honest, your mother is about to die." Kurama stayed calm as the doctor explained.

"How long?"

"Probably tonight." Shea looked from us, to Kurama, to the Doctor.

"Doctor, please tell me this is some miscalculation, she has to have more time to-"The doctor shook his head.

"I'm sorry Shia, but there's nothing else we can do, but we will still try as hard as we can. Shuichi I'm sorry." Kurama, before Shea could say anything else, touched her arm softly, leading her back to the roof.

"…Should I have let him touch her?" Yusuke asked.

"Yusuke, he's about to lose his mother-"

"I know." I ran up with Yusuke after the other two. Seeing the tenderness he had just treated Shea with, made me think I could give him even the slightest sympathy.

"You can't!" I heard Shea shout at him as we gathered back onto the roof.

"Shea what's up?" Yusuke asked as soon as he reached her. One side of her face was stained with a tear streak, while the other held nothing, but the doctors had said her tear ducts in that eye had stopped working.

"I have no choice." Yusuke understood."So you'll use it tonight? I heard you have to dish out something to the forlorn hope to make it work; do you know what that something is?" Kurama didn't answer for a moment.

"Yes. Life." Now I understood why Shea was crying, like I had never expected her to.

"Are you sure there's no other way?" I asked. He shook his head and placed the Forlorn Hope on the ground. He then held his hand over it.

"Forlorn Hope, I ask you to wake from your sleep and hear my plea, Reflect my greatest desire so you can make it true." The mirror gave off a bright energy, making the three of us present cringe. It then reflected the face of Kurama's mother.

"The happiness of this woman. Is this what you desire?" I could have sworn he glanced once at Shea before looking down.

"It is."

"Hey! Can you hold on?! There has to be another way to make this work!" Yusuke insisted. Kurama shook his head.

"No. There is not." All three of us asked that question, and at the time, I figured Yusuke had probably asked Kurama his last question.

"To grant this wish you must give your life. Is that what you desire?" Shea was beside herself, shaking her head.

"No…he knows it isn't…he knows it's…" I shook my head. It was pitiful…

"If that will save my mother's life then yes I do." The mirror spoke once again.

"Then your desire shall be granted!" A bright light radiated from the mirror, and Kurama began to feel shocks of energy as it overtook him. Shea took a step closer, but Yusuke pushed her away, throwing his hand over the mirror.

"No!" I, as well as Shea and Kurama, were shocked by this action.

"Yusuke Stop!" I pleaded.

"What..are you doing" Kurama asked. Yusuke ignored us both.

"Hey Mirror guy, can you hear me?! I want you to take my life instead, that way Kurama can still live and get his wish isn't that right?!" Kurama argued with him.

"This does not make sense this is my wish!"

"Yeah well it doesn't make sense rescuing her mom so she can spend the rest of her life mourning the death of her son... I've seen that... before..And I don't want to see it again!" Before anyone could get a word in edgewise, the mirror said the wish was fulfilled, and a bright beam of light overtook the roof, and I covered Shea's eyes to prevent more damage to them. Once it cleared, I let her run over to Kurama, who sat seemingly lifeless on the floor, as did Yusuke, who I had run over to.

"Kurama….please wake up…" She pleaded. Surprisingly, his eyes opened slowly, and he rose from Shea's arms.

"I'm alive… but what about my mother?!" He got up and sped off, Shea looking at me, as if for clearance, which I gave her, and ran after him. This is when I saw Botan fly in on her oar.

"Yusuke..." I looked down at him.

"I don't know if he…made it…" Botan shook her head.

"Yusuke Please!" Thankfully, I was wrong and after a small struggle with himself, Yusuke opened his eyes.

"Hey…Awesome I'm still alive! Though come to think of it that didn't make much sense what I just did, the whole point was to stop the whole sad mom thing but then my mom would have been sad…" Botan and I rolled out eyes, relieved.

"Idiot." We chimed in unison.

"But hey, I did get the Forlorn Hope back." Botan looked over to the mirror, still on the floor. It explained to us because of Yusuke's noble move, it didn't take his or Kurama's life. Botan smiled after Shea had come back up to tell us Kurama's mother was okay.

"And the Spirit Detectives strike again!" She laughed. Yusuke tossed the Forlorn Hope before pocketing it. After we had a good laugh, we concluded we only had one artifact left to get…however, this I knew, and as I guessed they did too, would be the final, and hardest one to get.


	14. Trio gone solo

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**A/N: I also realize that the Japanese do not normally have Middle names…but I needed to go a bit out of logic for this chapter.

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_**Chapter 14: Trio gone solo: Hiei and the Shadow Sword!

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_**Date: February 25**__**th**__**, 2002

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I sat, staring blankly out the window during Math class the next day. Our seats had changed today, and Mr. Iwamouto had Separated Kouhei, Shin, and I, since apparently we talked way to much anywhere within five feet of each other. I now sat next to Yusuke, but I didn't look at him throughout the first part of class, due to my daydreaming and backtracking to yesterday's events. However, I was brought from my thoughts with a paper ball to the back of my head. I turned around, and Kouhei waved at me, then pointed at Shin. Shin motioned to Mr. Iwamouto's turned back. He then started mocking the teacher's movements. He then paused, mimed yelling, and threw a ruler at Kouhei, who pretended to cry. All three of us burst into an oncoming laughter. Unfortunately…

"Miss Unizagi, Miss Masurao, and Mr. Irazuto, I want all three of you to the principal's office now! Tell him you were disrupting my class." I looked back at Yusuke, who shrugged, and pointed at the roof. I caught Keiko glancing at me before Shin dragged me after him.

"Man! I didn't think we'd end up laughing so hard!" Kouhei exclaimed once a safe distance from our classroom. Shin rolled his eyes.

"I guess my impressions gotten pretty good…" Shin said triumphantly. I shook my head.

"The ruler thing is new." We found our way To Mr. Takanaka's office, for he also served as the principal.

"I'm very disappointed in the three of you, especially you Miss Masurao; an honor roll student should not conduct themselves like that in class." Kouhei looked at the floor, mortified by these words.

"I'm sorry Sir…" Shin and I gripped her shoulders.

"Please Sir, it wasn't only her…" I nodded in agreement to what Shin said.

"Yes, we were disturbing class too…" Mr. Takanaka had agreed to a detention and a call to our parents concerning our conduct, and I knew I was in for hell when I got home that day. The bell rang, and the three of us collected our stuff.

"Time for English." Shin stated dryly. Kouhei sighed.

"Gym. Seems like fun…" I remembered how Yusuke had pointed to the roof suddenly, and took off in the direction of the door to the rooftop.

"Mimi, where are you going?" Kouhei shouted after me. I skidded to a stop, jogging in place.

"Science!" I answered, then wheeled around and sprinted off before Shin or Kouhei could say anything else like I'm sure they wanted too. I opened the door to roof, then closed it as quickly as I had opened it. I was just in time to find Yusuke leaning pleasantly against the fence on the roof, and Botan, dressed in our girl's school uniform, sitting atop the slanted box that served as a little lift on the roof.

"Hey if it isn't the detention bird." I rolled my eyes.

"Can it Urameshi," I sighed and waved to Botan.

"Why Hello, Hello." She greeted cheerfully, seemingly ignoring the fact I was sulking.

"Anyway, Mimiko, now that you're here, it almost slipped my mind!" She jumped down in between Yusuke and me.

"About Kurama, His case was reviewed by the punishment board, Koenma has decided to release him on good behavior!" I smiled.

"That's great!" Yusuke and I agreed.

"Now all we have to do is get the last artifact back, and-"

"We've still got three days!" I concluded. Yusuke looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It's with that…monster guy…What's his name?" Botan's smile turned to a frown in an instant.

"Hiei, and listen to me carefully. He is the toughest one by far, both cunning and ruthless, he'll do anything to get what he wants." We were interrupted by the creaking of the rusty old door, and the sight of Keiko. I remembered how she had looked at me while I was talking (silently) to Yusuke during class. I quickly climbed up the ladder on the slant of the roof, and took refuge on top of it, and I saw Botan run behind Yusuke. Keiko spotted him right after we had gone into hiding.

"Yusuke there you are! Mr. Takanaka's looking for you. You're the only one in class who hasn't turned in his book report yet." Yusuke's eyes rolled.

"Gee, makes sense, since I'm the only one fighting evil!" Botan came out from behind Yusuke.

"Hard to balance school and work huh?" I shook my head, kind of hoping Botan would have stayed hidden, and climbed down from my spot. Keiko glanced at us, confused. Yusuke twitched.

"Do you mind?"

"No not really." Botan giggled. I fell back quietly next to Yusuke, while Botan walked right up to Keiko. There's where she started rambling.

"Miss Keiko," She grabbed her hands. "It's so nice to meet you in my own body; I just wanted to say how great a person you are! When I saw you running through those flames to save Yusuke I just about melted in my shoes!" Keiko only blinked.

"Do I…know you?" She asked politely. Botan ignored that.

"I hope you didn't mind me speaking through your mother, but with his spirit energy-" I saw Yusuke raise his arm.

"Yus-"He whacked her."Ke..." I was a few seconds short of saving Botan's head.

"What was that for?" She shouted, holding the spot Yusuke had hit. Yusuke let his fist fall back to his side as we gathered in a small triangle.

"Keiko doesn't know anything about you, or Spirit world." He whispered harshly.

"You didn't tell her?" I asked.

"Did you tell Shin? Kouhei?"

"….No…"

"Oh that's right she doesn't" Botan said suddenly. "But if you don't tell her soon, things are about to get complicated." I slapped my forehead; she had said that a little too loud, and it sounded quite suspicious. She dismissed us, telling us she'd see us after school, and was off. I stood there dumbly next to Yusuke.

"Hum…I have to go home now…Lunch time… Ahem…" I bowed to Keiko. "Nice to meet you Miss Keiko!" And then I was off before she could say anything to me. Keiko, before Yusuke had died, and then been revived, was the only girl Yusuke talked too. I knew how seeing two strange girls with Yusuke now would seem, even though to most of the other people in school, I seemed closely tied to Shin. Keiko wasn't one of those other people. Before I could get all the way down the stairs, despite hearing Yusuke shouting about something one flight above me, I felt a strange presence. The same presence I had felt when Gouki and Kurama were near. However, I was forced to dismiss it as Kouhei and Shin had located me.

"There you are!" Kouhei shouted as she touched my shoulder.

"Here I am." I commented dryly.

"You weren't in Science class." Shin told me.

"What makes you say that?"

"You have History before lunch." Dammit! I forgot that I had Science at the last period of the day. My cell phone made a beeping noise.

"Eh… well… My dad's here with the Limo, which means I have to go home for lunch….See you guys in Culinary!" I ran off. And sure enough, at the front of the school, my father's Limo was waiting. I got in, and he took me home. What I found weird; he was giving me the cold shoulder the entire way there. We entered the house, where Janice had Stew and Rice balls waiting.

"_**Mimiko Susumu Unizagi!"**_ My father suddenly exclaimed, making Janice jump as he slammed his briefcase on the table. I could tell right away that Mr. Takanaka had called my father about today's outburst. He only used my full name when I was in deep trouble.

"Why did you disrupt your math class this morning?" He demanded.

"Father, all I did was laugh…" His hand hit the table.

"But this isn't the only thing you've done this week."

"What else have I done?" My father became red.

"Skipping school? Going off and not coming home for hours, and now getting kicked out of class? Mr. Takanaka also told me you skipped History." I never thought he'd find out so quickly.

"It seems ever since you've returned, you've become more rebellious. Mimiko, so help me if this happens one more time!" I couldn't disrespect him now. He's never laid a hand on me. He's so far, gotten by on threats to strike me. But he seemed mad enough to actually carry out a threat this time. I didn't need that. I looked down.

"It won't happen again… I promise…" My father said nothing; he just breathed, and fled to the living room. Janice took me back to school. I carried out the rest of the day in a daze, as I always did in the rare times my father yelled at me. I sat in detention with Yusuke, Kouhei and Shin. Mr. Takanaka was up front writing crap on the board when the compass on Yusuke's wrist went off, making us look up. He leaned over and whispered to me, covering the compass.

"He's near." I understood and got up with him. He quickly opened the door and told Takanaka his mom was calling, while I ran after him with no reason, not looking back at the confused faces of those left in the room. Botan soon joined us as we ran in the direction the compass was pointing us in. Yusuke looked back at her once she caught up to my pace, which was a few inches behind him.

"I think the compass went stupid, no matter how far I run, it keeps saying one mile!" Botan explained Hiei was sending out a moving signal for us to follow, and that he was leading us to his hiding place.

"That's cute" Yusuke commented.

"No it's not! He's told me horrible things through telepathy, he's kidnapped Keiko, and he won't give her back unless we give him the other artifacts!" Yusuke and I stopped on a dime.

"He what?" We had to keep on running, and the signal led us to the pier. Yusuke opened up a giant door to one of the garages.

"All I can see is crates..." I commented, looking around at all the heavy wooden boxes. Yusuke ignored me.

"Come out here Hiei! I'm going to kick your ass!" He shouted. The door closed behind us, and a dim light came into the garage. A bunch of people, young, old, stepped in front of us. They looked brain washed.

"What the? Who the hell are they?"

"Physically they are normal humans, but it looks like Hiei's controlling their minds."

"How?" I asked.

"For him to control so many humans at once, he must have the Jagan…" I blinked.

"The what?" Botan didn't have time to answer me.

"Well done." He chuckled, and we turned to see who 'he' was. The same short man I had seen before. This was Hiei. The Shadow sword glinted in his hand.

"I used my power to round them up this morning. They won't do any good against you, but they certainly make excellent scenery." A giant red and purple….thing rested on the top of his head.

"That's some pimple."

"That isn't a pimple Yusuke… It's the Jagan, a third eye for the spirit." Hiei looked up at his Eye.

"A normal human would have succumbed to its power by now, but I see the geniuses in spirit world found a couple of nice picks." The eye stopped glowing red and reverted to white and purple. "That's why I've brought insurance." He directed us to two men holding Keiko, unconscious.

"Keiko…" I looked from Yusuke to Keiko. Yusuke grew from worried to angry in a flash.

"Hey." He turned back to Hiei. "What do you plan to do with her?" he demanded. Hiei smirked.

"Nothing more if you have brought the weapons." Yusuke held up the Orb of Baas, and I held up the Forlorn Hope.

"Good. I see you've brought them both. The men dropped Keiko, and Yusuke ran to catch her.

"You may have her." Before I knew it, both items were in Hiei's possession. I didn't capture what Hiei had said, but Yusuke did.

"You should stop bragging." Hiei turned, curious.

"Now that I've got Keiko, I'm going to rip out your teeth, so bragging will make that more embarrassing." Hiei only scoffed.

"Try." Yusuke growled and set Keiko down gently.

"You know, your laugh is really starting to piss me off!" He ran at Hiei to punch him, but instead, got the air. Hiei had disappeared in a flash. But moments later, appeared behind Yusuke.

"I'm still here. I only stepped gently to the side. Was that a real hit?" Botan motioned to me as Hiei disappeared and reappeared on a crate.

"He'll need your help." I handed Keiko off to her, and then walked to Yusuke's side.

"I was under the impression that was a joke, but you don't seem amused." I knew Yusuke was thinking what I was. Hiei was fast… faster than Kurama or Gouki before him. Well, in reality, I didn't know how fast Kurama was, since we didn't have to fight him, but it appeared Hiei was still fastest.

"And as for Keiko." He mentioned, making Yusuke shout. "You think I'd relinquish my hostage without the reward?" His head motioned to Keiko.

"You're lying!" Yusuke insisted. But I gasped. On Keiko's head, an eye still unopened.

"Am I?" Hiei taunted. The eye glew red then opened a bit. Hiei explained he struck Keiko with the Shadow Sword, and that once the Jagan on her head opened fully, she'd become a demon, like him. Though not a smart one, perfect for a slave. When Yusuke tried to stop the eye from opening more, Botan told him to move and quickly forced her hand over the eye, forcing it to close with her energy.

"I'll keep it from opening; you and Mimiko go punch his brains out!" She directed Yusuke.

"Yeah." Hiei cut in. "I'd punch them out fast too, if you care about her assistant. I can feel her precious spirit energy draining and quickly. Pity. Her poor little body giving all it has. Soon Yusuke, you'll have a girlfriend who's a demon, and both of you will have an assistant who's dead!" I looked at Botan.

"Botan…is he telling us the truth?" I asked.

"Don't…worry about me! I'll stop it as long as I…can!" I could feel I too…her energy was leaving her…

"Botan…" Yusuke warned. We heard Hiei laugh from above us.

"You sick little bastard…" I grunted, getting up alongside Yusuke, trying hard to ignore Botan's painful whimpers. Hiei looked down at me.

"If I'm sick, why don't you come up here and do something about me?" He taunted. I growled.

"However, I'm glad you're so enthused, the game will be more fun that way."

"What game?" Yusuke snapped. Hiei held up the sword.

"The hilt of this sword is hallow. In it contains the only antidote to stop the swords effect. If you get the sword the girl will live. Fun right? Think of it as a game of tag." I guess Yusuke had enough of his voice, like me, because he managed to jump up, surprise the crap out of Hiei, and land a punch, sending him to the next crate. I scrambled up to Yusuke's side.

"What's wrong Spirit detective?" Hiei asked, wiping his mouth of new blood.

"This isn't a game dirt face. Keiko is my friend." Hiei, now that he saw what Yusuke was capable of, decided to test me. He jumped up and in a flash he was gone. But, now I knew how fast he was, I could sense his energy go by, and managed to dodge the swipe of the sword that came from the left.

"I see. You cans sense me, now that you know my capabilities. You two are both exactly what I thought you were. Team players, save the day superheroes…" He paused. "I hate people like you." This only made Yusuke smirk.

"I'll admit the both of you have surprised me greatly, but like amateurs, you did not take advantage of the situation, and neither of you got back the sword." He explained this was 'fatal' because he would no longer drop his guard.

"Are you done yapping yet?" Yusuke cut in.

"Because if you are, we'd like a shot to take that pretty little sword of yours." I finished.

"Not quite." He answered, giving me the only attitude as he his Jagan glew red and he jumped and disappeared. He began appearing everywhere, telling us with human eyes; it'd be hard to spot him. What he forgot, is I could track his every move now that I knew his energy.

"He's coming up behind us." I whispered to Yusuke. Hiei busted through a crate as Yusuke managed to punch him straight across the face again. All the artifacts fell in a neat line.

"Now...You're dead." Yusuke shouted down to him.

"See Hiei, that's what I'm talking about! Yap, yap, yap like some crappy pro wrestler! And then what happens?" I continued for him.

"You fall flat on your face, just like those crappy pro wrestlers." Hiei growled, getting up and removing his shirt.

"Consider this a compliment, I've never transformed for humans before." I stood behind Yusuke, as soon as Hiei said transform. If he was anything like Gouki, I was glad Shea wasn't here. Hiei glew green, and soon…turned green as well. Botan screamed out, and Yusuke and I realized something was up. Many eyes opened up on Hiei's body. He chuckled.

"Now that I'm in my full demon form, Keiko will join me any minute."

"Never!" Yusuke protested.

"There's no need to worry though. I'll take you out of this world long before you ever have to see her." I panicked as he jumped, and punched Yusuke from my side, and seconds later I felt a swift kick to my back. I only had one attack…and fist fighting was not my strong point. Some glowing red rings formed around Yusuke and me.

"Gah…This is new….but…maybe you can get me green ones, they'd match a lot better!" I struggled against the rings as we became suspended in air.

"Jokers to the end are you? Perhaps my Jagan tie curse has to be tighter before you get serious!" He fed more energy into the rings, draining my own, and I cried out. He promptly slammed us to the ground, me behind Yusuke, in a straight line.

"I have a great idea, how about I give you both a choice?"

"What?" Yusuke demanded. The sword floated up, and into Hiei's hand.

"I could end your lives now." He said as we sat up. " or if you prefer I'll make you both demons." After a short silence, he decided to choose and charged us. We were defenseless, and I closed my eyes, knowing this was going to end as me and Yusuke on a skewer. The sword pierced something but it wasn't us. My eyes snapped open, and Hiei's face was shocked. Mine became the same in a moment. Standing in front of Yusuke and I, was Kurama, sword pierced into him, and coming out his back.

"Ku...rama?" Yusuke questioned.

"You really have gone insane!" Hiei shouted. Kurama said nothing, then dragged his hand along the blade. He then brought his bleeding hand up and sloshed his blood at Hiei, making him fall back.

"My eye! My Jagan eye!" Hiei growled. The rings grip on us loosened and something picked me up. Behind me, a giant white animal stood. It looked like a giant fox, with a red mane and two tails on either side of its body, resting carelessly at its sides. From its feet erupted hot white fire . I almost screamed but I relaxed when I saw Shea was on its back.

"What is-"

"Don't ask, just get on, we have to go find something…or someone rather." She looked at Kurama as I struggled onto the giant beast.

"I trust you'll be fine?" Kurama turned to her and nodded slowly, holding his stomach. Once I was safely aboard the animal, she patted it.

"Come on Yuki, times wasting!" It gave a roar and sprinted off, making me hug Shea's waist tightly.

"If you don't like heights, I suggest closing your eyes. Hah!" Before I could blink, we were soaring, high above the city.

"Shea… First…what is this?" I asked. Shea leaned down and gave the animal's mane an affectionate nuzzle. It cooed something I didn't expect from such a giant creature.

"This guy? His name is Yuki. I assume you're familiar with strange animals, considering you have a strange one yourself." She opened her bag, and Riki fluttered out, finding a comfortable flying pace beside the other animal.

"Riki! How did-"

"Koenma pointed me to where she was. Anyway, this is what you call a hell creature." I blinked.

"Hell Creature?" Shea nodded, her long hair tied to keep it from hitting me.

"You tame these animals in demon world. They are created from the pure hatred of humans by demons. There is certainly no guarantee they won't turn around and kill you. They control their own actions, unless yours is really well tamed. Yuki here just happens to be really well tamed. Right boy?" Yuki gave a roar. Shea kicked his sides and he halted in mid- air.

"Hey… I know you have the other ingredient! So come on out!" This was greeted by a hail of fire comets, coming at us from straight ahead. Yuki dodged as Shea gave him skillful directions. But, things suddenly turned harder. Shea got up, her wings spreading as she balanced on Yuki's back.

"Mimiko, I don't have a clear idea of which way the comets are coming from" She pointed at her eye. "Bit impaired. Steer Yuki until I can find who I'm looking for."

"What? Wait!-"She jumped from Yuki's back and spread her wings wider; gliding swiftly past a couple of comets.

"Um…Okay…up!" Yuki lurched upward, and we managed to dodge a giant comet. I called out directions as the comets came, Yuki moved in all of them and we avoided comets, until-

"Mimiko!" A comet smacked into Yuki and me, sending him downward and me off of him.

_Riki! _Riki spread her wings as wide as she could, and Yuki glew a vibrant blue, he suddenly flipped, composed himself, and caught me on his back. Shea sighed in relief. Yuki eased back into the wave of comets.

"Mimiko. I need you to aim in the center of the shower and fire your attack." Shea said. I tried to stand on Yuki's back, but fell. With Riki's encouragement, I managed to stand, and felt my hands heat up. I thought of Shea, who was flying in front of the aim I had at the center of the shower. The ball of green energy had formed.

"Tomoshibi-Mari!" I fired the attack, and it flew past Shea, and directly where I had aimed for. The Comet's shrunk, and fell into the ocean like little pebbles. Shea flew forwards and grabbed a falling figure. She carried it back to Yuki and laid it between us. Once she was there, I realized it was a girl. She had fiery orange hair and a necklace in the shape of a sword around her neck. Her clothing was colorful.

"Who is-"

"She's a fire demon." I felt Riki perch on my shoulder. "She was working for Hiei. He was bluffing when he said all the antidote to stop Keiko from transforming was in the hilt of that sword. Kurama told me that this girl had the rest of the stuff you have to mix the medicine in the sword with." She held up the necklace, which I now noticed had a liquid inside.

"Now let's go!" Yuki roared and turned, heading back where we came from. Once we landed Shea forced the garage doors open, as Yusuke had before. Hiei was on the floor, no longer green, and back to three eyes. He had been beaten. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a broken Forlorn Hope on the floor. Kurama was leaned up against a box and Yusuke had the hit of the sword in his hand. Shea walked over, took the hilt, and bit off the top of the necklace, pouring the clear liquid into the sword.

"Give her that." She said, motioning to Keiko. She then went over to Kurama to survey his injuries. I sat next to Botan as the antidote was given to Keiko, and we were surprised and relieved to see the eye close and disappear.

"Goodbye Keiko monster." Yusuke commented, smiling.

"She's going to recover." Botan announced. I sighed.

"Thank goodness."

"I hope so." Yusuke turned to Kurama and Shea.

"If you guys hadn't gotten here, who knows what would have happened! How do you feel Kurama?" Kurama spoke.

"Good. I guess. I avoided the organs at least." Shea sighed.

"At Least! Kurama, you scare me sometimes." She shook her head disapprovingly.

"I still can't believe what you did Yusuke." Botan said.

"Why?"

"Why didn't you tell me the Spirit Gun could bounce off Mirrors, when did you learn that?" I blinked.

"It can?"

"I learned that… about ten minutes ago."

"What?" Yusuke explained.

"Hiei was way too fast, I knew he'd be able to dodge the Spirit gun if I couldn't shoot him from behind, that's when I spotted the Forlorn hope in the corner and thought hey I'd give it a try." I understood now. Yusuke had fired the Spirit gun into the Forlorn hope, with a thought it might bounce back and hit Hiei, and at the cost of the mirror, it worked.

"You…Weren't certain?" Kurama questioned, still holding his stomach.

"Well, one time they bounced light off a mirror in science class and I thought it might be the same." Botan became angry.

"Might? You risked our lives on a might? What would you have done if it didn't bounce off?" Yusuke shrugged.

"Get…chopped into pieces I guess." Kurama chuckled.

"All this time we've been thinking you were a brilliant strategist, really you're just a lucky fool."

"Watch it fox boy, hey what's that word mean anyway?"

"A strategist is someone who uses his brain."

"Hey!"

"Now boys." Shea and I looked at each other and smiled. I knew that all of us were glad this case was over, and that everyone was in once piece, despite Shea losing half her sight, me ending up with slight burns, and a near death experience, Yusuke and Botan almost Dying, and Kurama being stabbed in the stomach… Yup…all in one piece… and that's how the real story began.


	15. Younger but Wiser

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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_**Chapter 15: Younger but Wiser

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_**Date: February 27**__**th**__**, 2002

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So it all worked out. Koenma was thrilled that we got the artifacts back before the week was up. However, Botan had told us the following day that Koenma's father, King Enma, had still found out the artifacts had been taken because the Forlorn Hope was a mess of glass, and the Shadow Sword had traces of blood. Botan said he had received one hundred spankings as punishment, which Yusuke had found great enjoyment in. But as soon as one case ended, another opened. Yusuke was asked to go and compete for the powers of an old psychic named Genkai. But also, as Botan informed us, a monster named Rando would be there too, and Yusuke would need to stop him. He at first refused, but he was quickly swayed by a ticket to the Tokyo Fighting Dome. So, the weekend came, and he was off, leaving Shea and I back in the city, to do whatever we pleased. Though, I kind of wanted to go along, the weekend would seem dull compared to a week of action and whatnot. Around 9am, my cell phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered groggily, still trying to shake sleep from my voice. I had only woken up 30 minutes ago.

"Hey Mimiko!" Came Kouhei's bubbly voice from the other line.

"Hey Kouhei." I responded, lifting myself from under the sheets and letting my feet hit the soft wood.

"Are you coming with me and Shin to the festival today?" She questioned. I had forgotten all about it, but today was a special festival in town, that Shin Kouhei and I visited every year.

"Yes, of course… But I can't hang out until then." I stared at Niko's cage. I promised Shea I'd hang out with her today, since Kurama would apparently be in Spirit world hearing Hiei's punishment, and her brother Bruno was going to the gym, which she told me, was his ritual. She was the younger of two siblings, Bruno being Kurama's age, fifteen, and her being thirteen. She insisted she was thirteen and a half when I had let out a yelp of surprise, noticing I was her senior by almost a year. Looking at her face, you'd think she was fifteen.

"Okay, no problem….we'll see you there?" Kouhei asked. I nodded.

"Certainly." After hanging up with Kouhei, I headed out to go meet Shea on her street corner. For some reason, she had told me not to come near her home. And when Shea finally did meet me, I noted her condition.

"Shea…what's the matter?" I asked. Her arm had been bandaged. I was surprised at this, since it was only on Friday the bandage on her eye had come off. All the wound that Gouki had inflicted on her was now was a tan scar across her eye. Though her eye was also dull, and had completely lost the gleam that the other eye had.

"Oh…I…fell this morning…" I could sense her Aura contorting and easily pin-pointed she was lying…but I let it go and looked up at the sky, holding one arm to my face to shield my eyes from the sun.

"So, what should we do today?" I asked, concluding the day was beautiful. Shea shrugged.

"I-I don't know…" Something had shaken her, badly. She clutched the small stuffed toy- sized Yuki, who Shea explained to me, took this form so he could be easily disguised. It wasn't easy to explain a monstrous dog with a fake breed. I suggested we waste our day in the uptown markets. She nodded and we headed off to do some shopping. However, it was only some window shopping. Shea refused to buy anything, even if I offered to pay for her.

"How about we look over there?" I asked, pointing at a small clothing shop. Shea agreed and we walked inside.

"Shia!" Shea looked up, and a woman with light blonde hair and a kind, round face, waved to her. She worked there.

"Hello Aunt May…" Shea greeted.

"Come closer Shia! Who's your friend there?" Shea grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer as she introduced me.

"Nice to meet you Mimiko, my name's May." I shook her hand.

"Nice too meet you too May." May scanned Shea's petite body, and her eyes rested on her bandaged arm. She shook her head in a disapproving way.

"Shia, your father told me you fell this morning. You have to be more careful." Shea nodded, keeping a firm glance at the floor.

"I know Aunty…" She answered.

"Where's Shuichi today? Don't you normally come here with him?" May questioned, looking around in search of the boy.

"He had to do something for his mother today Aunty…"

"I see… well, look around, and feel free! This is my shop after all!"May, despite the protests of Shea, sent us out of the store with a few outfits.

"Your aunt is very nice…" I commented on our way home from uptown around sunset that afternoon. Shea nodded as Yuki poked his head out from a green bag Shea was carrying.

"Yes…" She said, with a small tinge of longing in her voice. "She is."

"Shea…" I seemed to cut into her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"We can go to my house for a little while if you'd like. You can even stay the night." Despite the small gleam of joy this brought in her good eye, she refused, but said she'd go to my house for a while. When I entered the Foyer, my Father was reading. He looked up from the newspaper and smiled.

"Shia. So good to see you." He said warmly. She smiled and bowed.

"Thank you." She answered, before I led her off to my room.

"Wow! What a cute Rabbit!" Shea exclaimed when she saw Niko. I blinked.

"You act like you've never seen a pet before…" She shook her head.

"I haven't…"

"Why's that?" She turned from looking at Niko's cage to looking at me.

"My father doesn't like animals. And…I don't go over people's houses much…only Kurama's... and he doesn't have a pet either…though every once in a while, he takes me to the woods, and we look at the animals there!" Her voice rose up so much from when she talked about her Father, to when she talked about Kurama.

"You seem very fond of him." I observed. She nodded.

"He's a very good friend to me…" I realized she probably thought I was suggesting she liked him.

"Oh no! I didn't mean it like that!" She looked back into Niko's cage.

"Yeah… he wouldn't like me if I did anyway…"

"Huh?"

"I'm only a kid to him… he said that I was like a younger sibling to him so- That's all I am anyway…"

There was a sudden knock on my bedroom door, and my father walked in, and behind him… Shea's Aunt May. My father let her through and she handed a bag to Shea, gripping her shoulders and pulling her into a tight hug.

"Sweetheart, now you listen to me, I've talked it over with Mr. Unizagi, and you're going to stay with them tonight, alright?" I noticed Shea's confusion as I stood next to my father.

"Aunty…what happened…? Why can't I go home… or Stay at Shiori's house?" May smiled a smile filled with Pity.

"Darling, I have to go, I'll be here to pick you up in the morning. If not Bruno will be."

"Aunty what happened?" May got onto her feet and quickly left the room. Shea tried to run out after her, but my father grabbed her shoulders.

"It will be alright Shia." Shia shot a look at me, which is one I will never forget for the rest of my life. The gleam in her good eye died off completely, and it was filled with nothing, a void. I looked at my Father.

"Is it okay if we go onto the roof?" I asked. He nodded and I led Shea out onto our flat roof. It was dark out, and the stars were already decorating the pitch black sky. Shea sat next to me, her knees curled to her chest. Yuki sat next to her, cooing as his fur swayed with the small breeze.

"You know, that's what everyone tells me…" I jumped at the sudden intrusion of silence her voice had caused, but turned to face her.

"What do you mean?" Shea's eyes darkened even more…if possible.

" 'It will be alright'…It never is…He hurt her again, I just know he did!" She then covered her mouth in shock at her words.

"What do you mean, who hurt who again?" Shea looked down.

"My Father…He…He hits my Mother…I- I remember she had to go to the hospital…once…" I looked at her bandaged arm.

"Does he hit you too?" She only nodded slightly. Her aura was faltering.

"Mimiko?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think it'd be okay…if I…if I couldn't take it anymore…?"

"What do you mean?" Shea's head rested in her knees.

"Mother always told me… That I couldn't cry…That I had to be strong… and that if I had to cry… I'd have to cry in the closet…or…my bathroom… but not anywhere else…" I understood now… I understood it all. The reason she wore the men's uniforms to school… was because her Father would harass her if she wore the girl's uniform. The reason she was so attached to Kurama… he protected her, and cared for her, one of the few people who was aware of what was going on in her home. I also realized her Aunt May knew, but she tried to shield Shea from what was going on around her. There's no shielding a child from the cruelty of her own parent.

"Yes…of course it's alright…" Shea broke down, as she was suddenly hugging me; I heard little hiccups escape her, breaking out in to hardened sobs.

"It's alright…" She continued on sobbing.

"It's alright…Shea….I won't let him hurt you anymore."After she had cried a good deal, she fell asleep. I brought her to my room. I met my father in the living room soon after.

"It's cruel what people can do to their own children…isn't it?" I looked at my father in pure surprise. He had known all along. That day he didn't answer me in the Limo….He knew…


	16. Time to tell the Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline. Nor do I happen to own Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, or James Bond, as there are slight references to that in this chapter.

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**A/N: This chapter shifts P.O.V's like crazy, but if it shift's least I let you all know. And this will be one of the only chapters where it jumps so much like this. Otherwise, it'll be just Mimiko's P.O.V

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**Chapter 16: Time to Tell the Truth!

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_**Date: June 27**__**th**__**, 2002

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So, as it had turned out, Shea's mother had 'Fallen down the stairs' the day Shea had come to stay with us. And when I asked Botan about Shea's father, she danced around the subject until I became tired of asking and gave up. Yusuke, with the help of Kuwabara. Who had showed up at Genkai's Temple in the woods to compete for her powers, had taken down the demon Rando, and won the Spot as Genkai's apprentice. He was forced to undergo a six month stay at Genkai's. Through Riki, I stayed in touch with him and he told me how horrible the 'old lady's' Training was. And, in that time, Botan had introduced me to Kuwabara. He, after finding out I had high spiritual awareness like he did, wanted to work with me so we didn't 'fall behind Urameshi.'

"Spirit Sword!" Kuwabara shouted as he rushed me, and I let my hands heat up, holding them out in front of me.

"Tomo-Barrier!" Green energy flooded the space around me in a dome. Kuwabara's energy sword bounced off, and sent small flicks of his own energy back at him. My Tomo- Barrier protected me from an attack by absorbing it, and sending the damage to the user of the opposing attack. However, it only worked with Spirit based attacks, and took a great deal of my own energy to use. But my energy had grown; I could now fire seven Light balls a day, instead of my one I had started with. Kuwabara had also been teaching me how to deal with close combat, in his own way, which involved not hitting me. Shea was there too, I was watching her until Kurama was ready to go to School, which for them, started late that day. Kuwabara let his sword dissipate, and I let my Barrier down. He walked towards me and gave me a pat on the back.

"You've gotten a lot better at fighting. You know, for a girl." I smiled.

"And you've gotten better at Slipping through that honor code of yours. You know, for a cat-loving street punk. Yusuke was also supposed to come back today, as it marked six months since he left. Kuwabara excused himself when his phone went off, and ran off to do something else.

"Mimi! Mimi!" I turned my head only to see Shin and Kouhei running toward me. Shea leaned idly against the wall as Kouhei and Shin ran up to us, each catching their breath. I was expecting a question about why I didn't go to the festival with them, which was nearly six months ago, yet, since then I had a small feeling of guilt left there.

"Morning Shin, Morning Kouhei" I greeted, smiling as warmly as possible at my two good friends. Kouhei smiled half-heartedly at me and replied.

"Heya," She chirped.

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

My thoughts leapt, going back to the festival. Did she not trust us enough to know where she was going? Or was she forced into leaving, or something? I mentally shook my head. What did it matter? She'll tell us if she wants, right? My smile grew and I softened my eyes as much as I could. One thing like that couldn't change so much between us, right? Still, I searched her face, looking for something, anything. I glanced over at Shin too, wondering if he had anything to ask.

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

Shin put his hands behind his head and looked around. He seemed to have Taken note of Shea, who had sunken lazily against the wall and was humming.

"She new?" Shin questioned. Shea had opened her eyes and her humming died down to a tiny whistle.

"Her name is She-"

"Shia-" She corrected hastily, so i would not reveal her real name.

"Sorry. Shia, this is Shin, and that's Kouhei." I said, pointing to

Each of my friends. Shin Whistled.

"Pleased to meet you." Shea's Lavender eyes scanned the two for a moment; her dull one closing on its own accord. She didn't make a move to respond anymore, however.

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

My eyes flickered over to the other person, finally noticing her. 'Hm, how did I notice her...?' I wondered. This festival thing was probably bugging me more than I thought. I nodded and offered a friendly wave.

"Likewise."

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

"Mimiko...A little help?" Shea asked. I nodded and helped her scuffle to her feet. She examined my friends, walking around the two. Shin yawned and his arm randomly slung around Kouhei's shoulders.

"Are you from uptown?" She asked them finally.

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

I leaned closer into Shin's comforting and familiar presence and nodded in confirmation.

"Yup. I don't live that far from here." I hesitated, not sure if I should ask any questions. She seemed kind of secretive, so I didn't think I should pry.

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

Shin shook his head.

"I'm from Middletown" He reached his free arm out in a hand shaking gesture, but Shea ran behind me, nervously gazing at Shin and Kouhei from behind me, holding fast to my arm. I looked down at my watch.

'Where's Kurama...? Shea should have been headed off to school with him by now' Shin looked confused.

"I'm sorry...Do you not like me?" Shea shook her head vigorously. My

eyes shifted to Yuki on the floor, who remained still, like a statue. I walked over with Shea to him and she picked him up. He drooped like a stuffed animal in her arms.

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

My head cocked to the side a bit, and I blinked in confusion at her actions. Did we do something wrong? Maybe she didn't like handshakes or something. My eyes shifted from Shin to Mimiko to this "Shia," wondering what to do. I then glanced down at the plush object in her arms, and offered an "Aww, how cute!"

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

Shea looked down at Yuki, then up at Kouhei.

"Thank you..." I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

"Oh my! - Oh, Hi Shuichi." I said as I turned to face the red head. Shea's expression lifted a bit and she walked warily to Kurama.

"Thank you for making sure she was okay Mimiko. I know your school is off today. Is that right?" I nodded. Sariyaski had gotten Friday off as a...gift. Meio was in session today. There was about a month left before we got off. And then we resumed school come October. However. Kurama looked over at my friends

"Hello." He greeted warmly, his eyes shifting when he felt Shea's small weight against his arm, her face buried into it.

"I'm Shuichi." He said politely

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

I glanced up at the newcomer and my eye twitched a bit. It should be illegal for guys to be that pretty.... I came back from my thoughts when I heard his voice. I nodded and smiled in return (I noticed I've been smiling a lot these past few minutes), greeting him.

"Hi there. My name's Kouhei." I saw Mimi took in Shia's reaction to his arrival; at least it looked like she was a little more at ease now.

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

"It's nice to meet you" Kurama offered.

"Hey. I'm Shin." Shin said calmly, reaching to shake Kurama's hand. Shia scuffled at the floor with her foot as she watched Kurama return the gesture. I couldn't pinpoint it, but for some reason, Shea wasn't having a great reaction to Shin.

"We should be getting to school now." Kurama said calmly. Shea took her school bag from me.

"It was nice meeting you."

He closed his eyes and Bowed. He opened one eye, which Shea noticed and bowed as well.

"We'll be off now... S-Seeya Mimiko..." With that they started off, and I turned to Shin and Kouhei.

"Um, so guys, what's up?" I asked, trying to mask Shea's rudeness. Though, Shea didn't make many friends...she was never taught to greet people correctly.

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

My eyebrow rose slightly; was it just me or was that Shia girl getting even more nervous whenever Shin offered his hand. I glanced down at his palm, wondering if there was something on it. My head snapped back up and I bowed back in return. "Goodbye," I said in my friendliest voice. I watched them walk away, and then turned back to Mimiko. I shrugged at her question, and said "Not much." A few Moments passed, and I remained silent. I wanted to ask her about the festival thing... But I didn't want to risk it... I decided to let it go for now, unless she or Shin brought it up. I exhaled and took the arm Shin had around me off my shoulders, and then hooked my arm through his. I curved my other arm and offered it to Mimi. "Wanna go do something? We have the day off after all."

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

I was about to take Kouhei's offer, when:

"Mimiko! Heads up!" I tilted my head as Yusuke and Kuwabara ran up beside me.

"What is it?" Neither had time to answer as some boys pursued them. Their skin was blue, and their eyes were blood-red. I tried to shield Shin and Kouhei from seeing the boys, but I probably wasn't doing well at that Job.

"Why'd you lead them here?" I snapped.

"Because, we need a Barrier!" He shouted in response. i wondered for a moment how he found out i could use a barrier, but I shook my head.

"You know I can't! Not here!" He shook me.

"I know you shouldn't, but you have too, if not, they could die, and so could we." He stated. I made him release my shoulders and thought a moment.

"Alright." Was all I could muster up.

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

I opened my mouth, about to suggest some things we could do, when I was interrupted. I blinked, staring at the newcomers weirdly. I glanced over at Shin, silently asking if he knew who they were, before looking back at them. I lowered my arm; it seemed like they needed Mimi for something, so she was probably busy. I tried to look behind the three, wondering what it was that made them arrive in such a hurry. My brows furrowed as I caught parts of their conversation. Barrier...? Wha...?

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

I saw Shin throw a shrug in Kouhei's Direction. I then Breathed... I knew I'd have to explain this later. but I Held my hands out in front of me as the men charged us.

"Tomo-Barrier!" A green shield surrounded the five of us, and the men were stopped, I blinked.

"They have traced of their energy on their fists." Kuwabara's answer rang out to my silent question. Yusuke tried to warm up his finger. He was going to use the spirit gun, I guessed. I smiled at him, and then looked back.

"Too late to turn back?" I asked. Yusuke smiled, nodding.

"Botan and Koenma will kill us...but, yeah."

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

I tensed as my world was suddenly covered by a green filter. 'What the heck just happened...?' I kept trying to peek around the three in front of me, until I caught a glimpse of something...blue? My eyebrow raised; this day just kept getting weirder and weirder. What, were they running from Avatars or something? I kept my questions to myself though, even when I noticed one of the guys pointing his finger in a weird way. It was like he was pretending to shoot a gun. I sighed silently. Oh, how I wanted to know what was going on...

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

"Now!" Yusuke shouted out, I let the barrier fall, and He called out:

"Shot Gun!" Many blue sphere's shot from his fingers at once, knocking all the men out in one shot. I waited until the light cleared to move.

"New trick Yusuke?" I asked. He nodded.

"You could say that." He answered. I turned to Shin and Kouhei. Shin just blinked. he had no idea what just went on.

Now, what's going on?" I asked

As Kuwabara and Yusuke observed my friends.

"I don't know, we were hanging out with Keiko when i noticed we were being tailed." I slapped my forehead.

"Well you're lucky the park was empty. And you ditched Keiko...Didn't you?" Yusuke opened his mouth to answer, but I held my hand out, leaving him to realize he had. I then turned to my two confused friends.

"I know this seems weird guys...but, we should probably get going." I suggested."It's not safe around here right now. I'll explain on the way." Yusuke blinked.

"Are you sure you should-"

"Yusuke. It's no use hiding it from them. They saw our powers and they know what we can do now." My hands still hot, I grabbed Kouhei and Shin by the wrists and led them behind me, as i trailed after Kuwabara and Yusuke. So I told them everything. Once Kuwabara was far enough away. I explained how i had died and met the grim reaper, Botan, and Yusuke, the loud one in the green jumpsuit. How Yusuke and I had been given a second chance and how we had become Detectives of the Spirit World. Our First case, and who Shia and Shuichi really were, and how we came to meet the two. Shin looked highly confused, except for the fact I had died, which he knew. I waited for Kouhei's reaction when Shin said

"Makes Sense....Kind of" While smiling.

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

I listened carefully, taking in every detail, hoping that I wouldn't forget it later. When she finished, I remained silent for a little while. Well... I certainly didn't expect this. I heard myself saying,

"Makes sense..." and I felt a smile tugging up at my lips. I gave it some more thought. Emotions passed through me and showed on my face fleetingly. She was killed? Oh, whoever hurt her... I curled my lips up in a slight snarl. Then I looked over at the other guy who supposedly died, and I felt curious at what happened to him. Then I started thinking of their titles. Detectives of the Spirit World...?

"So...," I began. "You're...like a detective? Like, a spy or something? Like James Bond?Or maybe Sherlock Holmes?"I asked, tilting my head curiously and smiling at her.

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

I smiled.

"Well...you can say that...except are jobs are ten times more dangerous and-" Yusuke stopped and I smacked into him

"Ow Yusuke-"

"I Sense something...it's not very Human....Something like" Kuwabara pointed.

"That!" There, we saw something in a trench coat....or someone, rather.

"Let's get it!" Yusuke shouted, chasing after whoever or whatever it was with Kuwabara. I looked from them, To Shin and Kouhei.

"Looks like I'm needed again." I commented softly.

**Kouhei's P.O.V**

I giggled at her response, but a part of me was still deathly worried about what she was getting herself into. I glanced at whatever one of the boys had pointed at, wondering why it was so important. I looked back at Mimiko and saw her expression. I smiled gently and nodded.

"Go ahead," I replied just as softly.

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

Shin gave me the same response as Kouhei, and I hugged them both before running off after the boys. This was going to be one interesting day.


	17. bats and bug spray

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline.

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**Chapter 17: Metal Bats and Bug spray

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**Date: June 27****th****, 2002

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The one we were pursuing led us through several twists and turns of the alleyways. I skidded on the pavement, my shoes digging in the ground beneath me as I tried to keep up with the many turns this he, she, or it made as the chase progressed. I was a fair distance behind Kuwabara and Yusuke, and my breath shortened, causing me to stop. I let out a small cough and disregarded it as I continued to follow after Kuwabara, Yusuke, and this weird trench-coated thing. It wasn't long after it turned the next corner that we heard the clink of a metal bat, and saw our perpetrator flying backwards, and onto the ground, out cold. We looked in the direction of where the sound came from, to see Botan standing there, a metal bat slung over her shoulder.

"Now that's what I call teamwork." I blinked.

"Botan?" I asked dumbly. She nodded.

"The one at only!" Kuwabara blushed.

"Hey! It's the pretty lady!" I rolled my eyes and went up to her with Yusuke.

"Botan, what are you doing here?" Yusuke asked. Botan pulled out a black bag, stowing the bat in it.

"I'm here to give you your next case." She answered bluntly. Yusuke waved his arms.

"Hold the phone Botan! I just got back from Granny's evil boot camp, and you expect me to go off on another case already?" He asked, looking perturbed more than anything.

"Yes Yusuke. You see, I hate to spring this on you and Mimiko, but there's a big problem." She responded.

"Big…problem?" I parroted. Botan shook her head.

"Yes. A very big problem. You see, there's a city called the City of Ghosts and Apparitions, and in that city, there are four powerful demons that live in a place called Maze Castle, called the Four Saint Beasts, that live there." I nodded.

"So? Some Demons live in some far away city, in some faraway castle, big deal." Botan opened her arms, showing us the enormity of the problem.

"But you see Spirit world has shielded them off from the world, putting a barrier up around the city. And now, the Saint Beasts want passage to Human World by having Spirit World bring down the barrier." She explained.

"Well, who's our guest over there then?" Yusuke pointed to the knocked out thing on the floor.

"A Spy from the City of Ghosts and Apparitions that slipped through the barrier, I've been after him for quite a while now." I nodded slowly.

"But..Why can't Spirit World just refuse?" I questioned. Botan took my Wrist and led us back to the Alley where Yusuke and Kuwabara knocked out those guys after them. I watched as a weird bug crawled from one of their mouths.

"Gross…" I commented dryly.

"Where are those things coming from? And what are they?" Botan squished the one that was fluttering around us.

"Mekai insects. They nest in a person's mind and control their actions. The Saint Beasts are sending them out into human world and controlling them with something called the Mekai whistle. That's why we need the two of you. We've opened a small part of the Barrier, so we can get Yusuke in. Mimiko, I need you here with me, there are too many Insects for me to eliminate on my own."

"Why does Mimiko get to stay?" Yusuke demanded. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Because I'm the sidekick." Yusuke rolled his eyes, turning back to Botan.

"And what if I can't get this whistle back?" Botan looked grim.

"I don't think I have to tell you what would happen if all the demons in that city were released into the Living World." Building Falling, people dying, I got the picture right away.

"Fine, I'll go, but shouldn't they send teams out for these kinds of things?" He asked. We didn't know at the time, which that was exactly what Spirit world had in mind. Kuwabara finally spoke, reminding us he was there.

"I'm going too." He stated. Botan must have jumped 100 feet.

"A-ah… I didn't say anything about Demons Kuwabara…ahaha…" Yusuke and I rolled our eyes.

"Botan, I'm not stupid." He caught a Mekai insect in his hand. "Or blind." Botan sighed, and led us into a shack just ahead of us. She then got to the floor and started banging on it.

"Come on now…I know it's around here somewhere…" She hit the floor again and a tile sprung up, revealing a green foggy area under the large tile. I blinked and stood behind Yusuke.

"You have fun you hear me?" I asked jokingly. He glared at me.

"Remember, you don't have to go if you don't want too. No one will hold it against you." Botan said. Yusuke shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Really? Well then, good luck to you-"

"Not you! I was talking to Kuwabara." Kuwabara said thanks, but refused t stay. Instead he jumped right into the green fog, shocking Botan.

"Does this thing at least have a ladder?" Yusuke questioned. Botan shook her head.

"I'm afraid not." Yusuke was about to jump in, when:

"Yusuke wait!" Yusuke stopped himself. Botan held up a round mirror.

"Wah! Botan you were about to let me go in there without something that could keep me from getting killed?" Botan sighed.

"It's just a communication mirror so you can keep in contact with us while you're on the other side." Yusuke took it, thanked her sarcastically, and jumped into the green fog.

"So Botan?" I asked as she closed up the portal in front of her.

"What do I do here?" Botan chuckled.

"Funny you should ask." She tossed me a Bat and Some bug spray.

"Aw no Botan…If you think I'm going to run around like some rabid exterminator-"

"I can't believe I'm running around like some rabid exterminator." I said to myself only an hour later, hitting the top of the bug spray canister and aiming it at some Mekai insects. My green mirror sent out a beeping, and I picked it up.

"Yes Botan?"

"I need you to come back to the warehouse; we've got some more help." Great… I could only wonder who that was.

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**A/N: Sorry this took so long, Between my Finals and everything else going on, plus a case of writer's block, I had no time, but hope you enjoyed it! **


	18. Rival Troubles

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline.

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**A/N: Okay, telling you guys quick…I'm really tired of watching the Yu Yu Hakusho series over and over again, not that I don't love it, it's just it's really annoying to write AND read. So, from chapter 18 and on, the events will all still follow the story line, but, as I see them. And another thing, Sorry I haven't updated this in like, I don't know, ages. My summer's been swamped. Anyway, besides that, hope you can enjoy the rest of the story as it comes.

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**Chapter 18: The Human, the Mixed Breed, and the Fire Demon

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**Date: June 27****th****, 2002

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I tried to quickly make my way back to the dusty warehouse Botan had instructed me to go back to. Rounding the easily manageable corner, I sprayed a few Mekai insects I found fluttering around. The can suddenly made a quick sputtering noise, and I cursed under my breath. I silently wished that Botan had more of this…Magical Bug spray, knowing that normal bug spray might not be the answer to our problem. However, even more bad luck befell me, because somewhere between the alley where I vanquished the last bugs that I could at that moment, and the rest of the way to the warehouse, I tripped, my communication mirror falling from my pocket and onto the ground, snapping in half.

"Dammit…" I muttered, scooping the pieces into my pocket and with no other choice, continuing on my way to the warehouse. When I finally got there, I turned the knob on the door, and let it fly open freely. Standing there, some people I did expect, and then, two certain demons I _really _didn't expect. Besides Botan, the first person I recognized was Shea. Her school uniform was now gone and replaced with loose fitting Khaki pants and an T-shirt obviously about two sizes bigger than she should have been wearing, and she was fidgeting with what looked like an eggroll, ripping off a piece and then carelessly popping it into her mouth. The next was Kurama, still in his school uniform, standing with one of his thumbs hooked in his pants pocket, the other arm loosely hanging at his other side. He leaned over to Shea and mumbled something inaudible to me, probably warning her not to eat as fast as she was. She stopped a minute to blink, then shrugged him off and continued her onslaught on the poor eggroll. But the next was a surprise to me. It was Hiei, the same demon we had taken down only months ago, stood next to Kurama. My eyes locked with his blood red ones for only a moment before he looked away from me, something like a 'Hn.' Came from his throat. The last one was a girl that certainly looked about ten years old. Her light orange hair came to an abrupt stop at her shoulders, and a grass green dress with white lacings adorned her petite form. Her fiery orange eyes glowed in mischief, a glow I could see even though Hiei was in front of her. Botan walked up to me, shaking my shoulders.

"I thought something killed you! Why didn't you answer the mirror?" She demanded to know. I couldn't help but chuckle a little. I would have never thought, well, before I died, that'd I hear the phrase "Why didn't you answer the mirror?" I sighed, pulling out the broken mirror and presenting to her. Her face fell.

"I'm liable for these!" Shea muttered something, for once not slipping by me.

"What was that?" I asked her. She ripped another piece from her eggroll before speaking again.

"I said electrical tape." I glared at her for a moment.

"And where am I supposed to-"no sooner had I said it, she had shoved a roll of electrical tape in my face.

"Why do you carry around a roll of electrical tape?" I asked as Botan took to trying to mend my mirror. She shrugged, finishing her eggroll.

"Dunno." I almost fell backward at her blunt response. Giving up soon after, I looked over at Hiei.

"Why's he here anyway?" I questioned. Botan handed me my mirror.

"He's going with Kurama to help Yusuke and Kuwabara." I blinked, reminding her they left nearly four hours ago.

"Time moves slower in the City of Ghosts and Apparitions. What's four hours to us is about ten minutes there." My eyes widened. Still so much to learn, is what I guessed. Hiei scoffed.

"I already told you, you simple girl. Kurama and I are babysitting, not 'Helping.'" He insisted. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, but who's she?" I asked, pointing to the girl behind Hiei. After a second look, I had realized she was the girl we had taken down while the boys fought Hiei, but I didn't know her name.

"Her name is Loki. She's Hiei's servant." Botan responded. The word 'servant', made me cringe. I really didn't want to know what Hiei did with her in his spare time. Hiei seemed to pick up on what I was thinking, but then I remembered he was telepathic.

"Hn. I wouldn't think of doing such things." He said simply, earning me a weird glance from Shea. She then scowled at Loki.

"Like she could even think about doing what you were probably thinking of. Before we got here, she emptied my bag and put it onto her head. Stupid!" Loki scowled back at her.

"Hey!" She protested quickly. "It made a nifty hat!" Shea sighed heavily and closed her eyes, the glazed one glinting for a moment before her eyelids blocked my view of it.

"Idiot…" I heard her mutter under her breath. A thought suddenly came to me.

"Shea, how do you know what any of what I may…" My voice trailed off as I took a quick look at Hiei. "…Or may not have been thinking means anyway?" Shea opened one eye.

"I'm older then you think." I slapped my forehead. I completely forgot she had told me a couple of days ago that she was actually a two-thousand year old, mixed breed princess trying to do what her dead demon father couldn't or something. Looking at her in those oversized, tomboyish clothes, I couldn't exactly pin her as a princess. Guess the fairy tales must have lied to me again. She and Loki were suddenly shouting insults at one another.

"Loki!" Hiei snapped. Loki stiffened and then turned around and walked back over to Hiei's side, sulking.

"Nice pet Hiei." Shea commented dryly. Kurama shook his head and pulled her back to his side by her arm. Botan moved the tile she had moved before to reveal the portal. Hiei and Kurama, without another word, jumped down into it. She then covered it back up, and turned to Shea, Loki, and me.

"Now girls, I need your help." She handed us each a can of bug spray, and then Shea and Loki bats. I saw Shea look from the bat to Loki, and Loki look at her own bat with a similar gesture and quickly stood between the two. Both turned away from me, seemingly disappointed.

"I need you to go out there and extinguish as many Mekai insects as you possibly can, okay?" she instructed us. Shea huffed, and Loki who had most likely been given orders by Hiei to do what she was told, nodded. Shea still glared at Loki, it seemed like she was pretending I wasn't there.

"And Shea, Loki, please refrain from killing each other…" Botan pleaded. I kind of started to wonder why neither seemed to get along with the other.

"Can't guarantee that Botan." Shea said, crossing her arms over her chest. Loki rolled her eyes.

"Neither can I." Both stormed outside, and Botan stopped me.

"Shea's a mixed breed and Loki's a Northern Fire Demon. Spirit world hasn't uncovered why yet, but Northern Fire Demons and Mixed Breeds seem to be major enemies." I blinked.

"Okay, so why doesn't Shea fight with Hiei?"

"He's a Western Fire Demon." She answered. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"So…I'm in here…and two rival demons that seem to have the intent of killing each other are outside….by themselves?" Botan and I heard the clanging of the metal bats and Shea shouting about how she'd had enough of the 'freaking attitude', Loki shouting likewise, and more clanging. Botan shoved another can of bug spray at me, and I picked up my bat, running outside and using it to knock the bats away from the other two girls.

"Cut it out!" I commanded. Shea crossed her arms again and looked away from me. Loki blinked before reclaiming her bat. We walked for a little while, spraying the insects we found along the way as we went. Loki glanced at Shea every once in a while, and Shea took notice of this.

"What are you looking at?" She finally snapped.

"Not much." Loki responded with a smirk. Shea finally pushed me out of the way, but Loki swung before she could make another move, and Loki's bat, in one clean swing, hit the middle of Shea's back, in between her shoulder blades. The next thing I saw was a puff of smoke where Shea had been, and Loki dropping her bat, extremely confused. Next, the smoke cleared, and a purple fox with long ears and a lighter purple mane around its neck stood where Shea was, looking very perturbed. It stood in an offensive position, fur standing on end as it faced Loki.

"_You freaking whore!"_ That was when I realized it was Shea. Before Loki could say anything, I put a hand up to silence her. I walked over to Shea, now as small as an adult sized fox, and picked her up carefully.

"For a thirteen year old, you have a very wide vocabulary." I stated blandly. Shea snorted.

"…_Two-Thousand, Thirteen, and a half…"_ She insisted. I shook my head.

"Right…How'd you end up like this?" When Shea insisted on her silence, I turned to Loki.

"Mind going ahead and getting rid of some bugs?" She shrugged, and took her bat and bug spray with her. Shea spoke after Loki was well out of sight.

"_I change like this, if I get hit in one of three places."_ She said at last.

"Where?" I questioned. I just now noticed the fur under my hands felt silky, and sort of soothing.

_"My head, on either side where my fox ears show up, where either one of my tails is supposed to be, or right in the middle of my shoulder blades, because that's where my wings show up." _I then decided to ask:

"But you got hit where your wings should be, shouldn't you be an eagle?" She jumped from my arms, landing on her feet like a cat would.

"_Hell if I know. I've only ever changed into a fox. It almost happened one time… in front of that Human father of mine." _I shook my head.

"Well, when do you change back?"

"_When I receive enough human energy. Normally if someone who is at least partly human holds me, I change back. Problem is I end up with no clothes." _She probably knew my next question was coming, because she went on._ "…I, experimented with it a couple of months ago when I found out it happened…I couldn't change myself back, so I needed help from Kurama." _I guessed that she probably changed once he picked her up and she was held long enough, which probably developed into an embarrassing situation.

"_He saw a scar of mine…when I changed back…he told me that I was being foolish for not getting help, and not…letting him help me."_ I sighed, collecting her clothes and wrapping her in them, kind of like I was trying to shield a puppy from rain, though it was my energy I was protecting her from. When she wanted me too, I'd hold her long enough so she would change. But in the meantime, I simply collected the bats and the cans of bug spray, our only weapons against these bugs and…human zombies that Botan had warned us about, and continued making my way cautiously through the city with my uneasy companion.

**A/N: So, there you have it, hope you enjoyed the chapter, once again very sorry for the long wait, and please excuse Shea's language… she's got the tendency to have a mean streak. **


	19. The Home Field Advantage?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**Chapter 19: The Home Field Advantage?

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**Date: June 27th, 2002

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I continued through the streets with Shea, extinguishing as many bugs as I could on my own, at the same time trying to look for Loki.

"_That damned girls probably already gotten herself injured. I mean really, i wouldn't be surprised if she's-_"

"Shea!" I snapped finally. Shea had a whole lot of animosity towards Loki, and I was sure Loki felt the same way, but all the same, I didn't really feel like playing the middle man in their arguements. Shea wiggled her way out of the clothes I was carrying her in and snorted.

"_I know I know, we have more important things to worry about."_ I rolled my eyes and shifted the bats that laid in the bag on my back,

"That's right." I muttered, shielding my eyes with my hand and staring past the sun. I then

thought of something.

"Shea, where's Yuki today?" I asked. Shea sat down, her fluffy tail swaying behind her.

"_Hell if I know. I think he's hiding out in my attic, he went home before I left school."_ I nodded, and watched as Shea raised herself from sitting position, taking deep sniffs of the air. She then recoiled, like she had just been smacked in the face. Hard.

"_Oh Geez! That's smells worse than Bruno's gym socks_-"She paused, and started what seemed like coughing through her nose.

"_She's that way."_ She said finally, pointing to the west with her paw.I raised an eyebrow.

"You mean Loki, right?" I asked. She nodded, and I picked her up again, running in that direction.

"Ha!" There was a clang of a metal bat, and a blue-skinned human flying my way. I dodged by moving quickly to the side. Loki let her bat rest to her side and looked over at me.

"Oh. Hey, sorry about that." I looked from her to the knocked out man at my feet.

"So…These are those infected Human Zombies Botan told us about?" Loki shrugged, and sprayed a bug that flew from the man's open mouth.

"Most likely. I mean, you have to figure something's wrong when a human turns blue." Was all she said. I put Shea down and picked the communication mirror that Botan had given me from my bag. She told me that the orange button would dial her, and the green one would dial Yusuke. So I pushed the green one.

"Way to busy right now Bota-"

"I am not now, nor will I ever be Botan, Yusuke." He looked confused for a moment, but he went on.

"Oh. Well, what's she got you doing Mimiko?" He asked. I shrugged. I could tell he was running, because he was panting heavily.

"Oh, Killing mutant bugs, knocking out mutant humans, dealing with two demons that can't stand being within five feet of each other… I guess that's normal work for us though. And how are you holding up?"

"We've gotten rid of two of the four saint beasts, and we're trying to make it out of here without getting killed. Kurama and Kuwabara are hurt, but they said they're both fine." I nodded, and Shea climbed onto my shoulder, which kind of hurt.

"Loki, Shea, and I are trying to keep these freaking bugs from overrunning the city… I don't know if anything we do is helping though."

"What about Botan?" I shrugged.

"…She's probably doing her best, but this is hard, the bugs are everywhere, and Shea got turned into a fox." Yusuke finally took notice of her hanging off my shoulder.

"How did that happen?" Shea shot a glare at Loki, who shrugged and twirled her bat.

"…Freak Accident." I answered quickly, in order to avoid the two bickering again. Suddenly, I felt this presence loom over me. That was followed by Loki yelling at me to run.

**Normal P.O.V.**

Shin let his head rest on his hand, watching the waitresses of the bustling café rush around, trying to get done what was obviously more than they could handle. He occasionally glanced down at the menu in his hands, his eyes shifting from it to Kouhei who was seated across from him.

"Hey, Kouhei, you know you can order whatever you want right?" He asked her, a little snappier than he had expected it to come out.

Her head snapped up, surprise clearly shown on her face. Shin rarely ever took on a harsh tone with her. "Oh…I uh..sorry," she replied lamely, more out of shock than anything.

"…Sorry, don't know where that came from, that was supposed to come out nicer." He said sheepishly.

She shook her head, setting down her menu. "It's fine; I guess I was taking a while…" She pursed her lips, looking carefully at Shin. "Is something wrong?" Shin sighed.

"I don't know Kou. I'm worried about Mimiko. She's off fighting all these monsters… and what am I doing? Sitting at some stupid café, with no way to help her." He answered. He was frustrated, but felt helpless as well.

Kouhei sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I know what you mean," she said, leaning back in her chair. She put her arm on the armrest, laying her chin in the palm of her hand. She turned her head to stare out of the window near them forlornly. "I just don't know if there's anything we _can_ do… I mean, face it. We're not really cut out for…that type of world, are we?" Shin shook his head.

"No, but I've never known her to be either." He responded. Kouhei stayed silent; he was right.

"Oh. Shin, Kouhei. Hello." Shin and Kouhei looked up to see Mimiko's mother standing beside the table, a light smile on her face.

"Hello Mrs. Maiko." Shin greeted.

Kouhei nodded her head, the sides of her lips twitching up a little. "Hey, Mrs. Maiko. Been a while."

"Where's Mimiko?" She questioned. Shin froze, looking at Kouhei, hoping for some kind of answer from her.

Kouhei spared a quick glance at Shin, mentally face-palming when she realized that he didn't have any excuse. She looked back at Mimiko's mother, hoping that a calm expression was on her face.

"Oh, well, see… Um, Mimi's not here because Shin and I are…on a date! Wait! I mean um!"

She smacked herself in the forehead, a light tint of pink dusting over her cheeks.

"Really now? I didn't know you two were dating!" She responded. Shin reacted quickly.

"We aren't we- we're just-" Just then her cell phone rang and she excused herself, and Shin breathed a giant sigh of relief. He raised an eyebrow at Kouhei.

"Dating? Kouhei we both _really _need to work on our excuses." He heaved, leaning back in his chair.

She removed her hand from her face, which was still a bit flushed. With a sheepish smile on her face, she rubbed the back of her head.

"Haha, yea… I guess I didn't handle that very well…But at least it was better than you," she said, sticking her tongue out at him playfully. "You couldn't come up with anything!" Shin rolled his eyes.

"But I'm a guy I- no, you're right, no excuse." Shin suddenly felt a sense of doom.

"Kouhei.." He said, suddenly becoming serious.

"Something's wrong with Mimiko." he said softly. Kouhei sucked in a sharp breath, and her hands curled up into fists.

"Let's go then." Shin got up with Kouhei and both hurried out the door, they were going to find Mimiko, and help her as much as they possibly could…no matter who or what was after her.

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**A/N: Well…This will be lovely. Anyway, sorry once again, for not updating….Shame on me. Hope to see ya all next chapter!**


	20. The Target is Keiko!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**Chapter 20: The Target is Keiko!

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**Date: June 27th, 2002

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Yusuke was probably confused as my mirror connection with him was suddenly cut off, and all he heard and saw was fuzz and buzzing. Though, I had a great reason to be dropping my mirror.

"_Botan's going to kill you for that mirror!" _Shea commented, shouting over the wind as her fox form was crushed to my body. Loki, who was keeping up beside me, rolled her eyes.

"Her dropping her mirror might have something to do with Mr. Big tall and scary behind us!" I shook my head.

"Girls! No time to be fighting, Hm?" I shouted over the wind that was blasting through my ears. Shea bit down on the clothes around her, refraining from saying anything to the fire demon. The Zombie human that somehow ended up close enough to swipe at me, did. Shea and I were sent tumbling into some Garbage cans.

"Ow…" I muttered, rubbing my head with the pain. Shea stood up, shaking her purple fur of banana peels and other unwanted trash items. The infected human groaned before trying to take another swing at me. I curled into a ball, trying not to waste my energy on summoning a Tomo-Barrier. Though the blow never came, but I heard a giant crash and my head quickly shot up. The Human was on the ground, out cold.

"L-Loki?" I questioned, turning to give her a look. Loki gave a shrug.

"I didn't do anything. Why don't you ask the black and blonde haired humans?" My eyes widened as a noticed Kouhei and Shin were standing in the center of the area, Shin holding a Garbage lid, and Kouhei holding a now broken chair. How she had managed a chair, I would never know. Kouhei threw the remains of the chair onto the ground and ran over to me.

"Mimiko! We were so worried!" She exclaimed, hugging me tightly to her.

"Guys, h-how did you find us?" I asked as she and Shin helped me up. Shin sighed.

"Well, all the screaming had to come from someone." Kouhei picked up Shea, who stiffened up like a board of wood. She began to glow a reddish color.

"_Oh geez…" _she muttered, jumping from Kouhei's arms. She tried to run into an empty alley, but Loki blocked her with her foot. There was a poof and a lot of smoke next. Last thing I knew, young Shea stood in front of us…completely exposed. Kouhei looked at Shin, who kind of stared at the girl in shock. She and I both nudged him in the ribs.

"Turn around…" I muttered. Shin obeyed and was quick in facing the other way. Shea had tears in her eyes, so she no doubt notice Shin had gotten a look at her. I shot a glare in Loki's direction before throwing Shea her clothes, and the girl quickly disappeared into the alleyway.

"Loki, that was mean don't you think?" Loki shook her head.

"Not really. Mutt deserved it." I had to wonder what she meant by "Mutt" for a minute, but I realized it was because Shea was a mix of an Eagle and a fox, and it must have been what she was referring too. Shea came back, now fully dressed, and shot Loki a look that probably would have killed her if looks could kill.

"Wait…but what just happened Mimi?" Kouhei asked, only just noticing Shea had went from fox to human.

"Don't worry about it, just please don't try to knock someone out like that again! You guys were lucky this one was only a human!" I warned. Shin frowned.

"We only wanted to help." I nodded in understanding, guessing I was being ungrateful.

"Sorry, I just don't want anything to happen to you guys." I explained. Kouhei nodded, about to say something before Loki's voice cut her off.

"Let's go before he wakes up." She suggested, gesturing to the unconscious foe. I agreed, and the team of us ran out. Being careful was obviously the key…the infection of the Mekai insects was getting around fast… and we couldn't risk careless mistakes.

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**Date: June 29th, 2002

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I sighed, looking out from my balcony. It was a sunny morning the rays of light illuminating the rooftops of uptown…but things were getting worse. The number of infected humans grew enormously. Shea had tried leaving my house but was almost killed in doing so. She was forced to stay in my house, much to her father's dismay. My father had been alert, since I came home with a couple of scratches the day Kouhei and Shin had saved me from the Infected Human, and he had heard the number of 'psychotic' people in town were rising. With my mirror broken, I had no way of contacting Yusuke, and I had no idea where in the city Botan was.

"Mimiko…I can hear something…it sounds like music…" Shea commented from her spot on my bed. Looking back at her, I noted her Purple eyes were distant, like she was concentrating on something. Yet…I couldn't hear a thing.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" I said softly. Shea put a hand up to silence me though.

"Its…like a hum…but I hear…Keiko Yukimura, on the notes." She continued, almost whispering. My eyes widened.

"Keiko? Are you sure?" I questioned. Why would a song have Keiko's name hidden in its notes? How the hell was Shea able to hear all this? I decided not to ask.

"Yes. Why?" She asked.

"Keiko is Yusuke's girlfriend…at least I think so…"

"We should go check on her then." Shea pulled a whistle from her pocket. It was shaped sort of like a fox head. Blowing into it, I heard no sound come out.

"What's that?" A roaring was followed by my question, and Yuki in his giant fox form waited at my balcony, the blue fire burning around his feet seemed more furious. It calmed a little once he realized it was Shea who had summoned him.

"Fox whistle." She said simply before climbing onto the fox's back, holding out her hand and allowing me to climb on. She ordered him high into the clouds, so we would not be detected by the people in my neighborhood. We had been searching for Keiko for what was probably hours.

"Wait…we had school today!" I exclaimed, remembering my father had been afraid to let me go because of the news reports that morning, and Shea had just skipped her classes. Shea rolled her eyes, and she probably would have told me I should have thought of that earlier, if I didn't already know it myself.

"Hold tight." Shea muttered. I couldn't ask why, as Yuki suddenly sped off quickly, making me grab onto his white fur with all my strength. As we came down from the clouds, I didn't realize how late it was. A scream brought me out of that thought though, and some glass was shattered down below. Shea turned, which told me that she knew the exact same thing I did…

Keiko was in trouble.

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**A/N: Alright, so, after a month or so, finally got the new chapter out, school's been keeping me busy, sorry about the long, long wait. Also if it sucks I'm sorry, this chapter really didn't have so much to get into detail about, but the next one should be much better.  
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	21. Trapped! Yuudai comes to the rescue!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline

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**A/N: Dammit I just noticed this was started almost a year ago, and I only have twenty chapter….so I've been being a major slacker when it's come to writing, anyway, once again another long wait produces one new chapter! Enjoy~

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**Chapter 21: Trapped! Yuudai comes to the rescue!

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**Date: June 29****th****, 2002

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As soon as we landed on the ground, we felt the tension in the area. Yuki confused me as he quickly retreated, jumping into a bush. I turned to ask Shea what it was all about, but she silenced me before I could say a word.

"He smells the fear in the air." She explained. I guess this put a new twist on "nothing to fear but fear itself." All I did was nod. Hearing another scream, we turned to see Keiko running from Mr. Iwamouto, whose skin was currently blue. He had been infected too. Following him, were quite a few zombies, and only now had we realized that they were just flooding into the area. I turned to Shea, who gave me a nod of her head. We tailed them for a bit, instead of rushing in to save Keiko. We couldn't, it was way too risky for her and for us.

"They'll catch her at this rate…" She commented as we ran.

"Stop being a pessimist!"

"…" We continued to chase after them, and realized that they had come to a stop in an area that was rich with bushes. Shea and I nearly shrieked as we were pulled into the bushes. However, our fears were relieved when Botan's pink eyes came into my focus.

"There the two of you are!"

"Took you long enough." The other voice belonged to Loki, who was sitting with her back against the wall.

"B-Botan, who are they?" A third meek voice questioned. I turned only to find Keiko's warm brown eyes staring back at me. I smiled, glad that she was safe.

"This is Mimiko and She- Shia. They're two of my partners, like Loki." Keiko recognized me…but she didn't say much, or even act like she did. Then, who could blame her? She probably thought I was some sort of boy-friend stealing bitch or something.

"Mimiko, I've already called Yusuke and told him I found Keiko. He told me that your mirror disconnected with his while you were being chased. I gave her a simple nod as an answer.

"Yes, it broke because I dropped it. I wasn't really thinking about you're liability for it when it happened." Botan shrugged.

"That's okay, it's more important that your alive." Shea froze up for a moment. There was trouble.

"What is it?" Shea said nothing, only pointed to the blue face of my teacher sticking through the bushes. He reached in to punch us, and that's when we scattered into different directions. Loki took off to the left, Shea and I slipped under Mr. Iwamouto and ran straight, dodging other human zombies as we ran, and I thought I saw Botan take Keiko off to the right.

"Today is just not going how we planned is it?" I asked, panting as we ran into the building. Shea shook her head, stopping for a second to gain her breath back, or so I thought. Shea raised her head after another moment or two.

"Mimiko, I hear it again….the music…" I listened but heard nothing.

"Shea are you sure you aren't going crazy, by cha-"I was interrupted suddenly, by two zombie goons chasing us. Shea shot a glare in my direction, her hair occasionally falling back into her face.

"Who the hell is crazy now?" she questioned. I rolled my eyes and we made a left into the music room. It was quiet as far as we saw. The room was a soft baby blue, and chairs were lined in rows, in the front was a big black baby grand piano. I went there a lot since Music class was in my schedule.

"We just kind of trapped ourselves…" I nodded at Shea's comment as we discovered the zombie's were now blocking the doorway. Shea, against my shouting at her, rushed them, and she was grabbed and thrown back, sliding across the piano.

"Shea!" She sat up, rubbing the back of her head in annoyance.

"There goes my love of music." I gave her a slight nod before looking back at the zombies. This wasn't going too well. Once Shea reached me again, there was a scuffle as we ran about the room, avoiding the goon that chased after us.

"Shea, can't you use your powers to get these guys away from us?" Shea shook her head sharply.

"It isn't legal for me to use my demon attacks on humans, even ones that are possessed!" She panted. For a brief moment, Shea saw the other human zombie move from the door, and she took the chance to wrestle with him.

"Geez this guy is on some kind of weird steroids or-"

"Bugs." Shea nodded and then looked over to the door. "Mimiko, get out of here now, before I lose my grip on this guy!"

"But Shea-"

"Go!" I didn't question her anymore and ran from the now open doorway. This made me wonder how the boys were doing. I took out the newer communication mirror that Botan gave me (Which by the way, was the last one I was promised) and ducked into an open room, locking the door and jamming it with a chair. Quickly, I pushed the button to communicate with Yusuke, and waited nervously.

"Mimiko? Where the hell have you been?" My voice was shaky as I answered.

"Running for my life…" For a brief moment, I thought I saw a flash of sympathy on Yusuke's face.

"Where are the others?"

"We… got separated, I was with Shea, but we ended up getting split up too…" Yusuke shook his head.

"Mimiko, we're almost done here, almost to the last saint beast, you guys have to try to hold on a little longer…" I saw the door breaking, and I knew the chair wouldn't hold much longer.

"Yusuke," the tears welled up in my eyes, and I had to admit now, I was truly scared. "Please just do your best to take care of it…" Before he could respond to me I flipped the mirror closed. Tears were now leaking freely from my eyes as I thought about how I just left Shea back in the music room. She could have been dead, for all I knew. Maybe I deserved this. As the chair finally gave in and the human zombie entered the room, I stepped back. Carefully, I lifted my hand.

"Tomo…Barrier…" the green energy sparked in my hands but died out. I had realized a pang of fear entered my heart as I called for the defensive move, but was this fear holding up my energy? The human growled at me, suddenly lurching forwards and pinning me to the wall. However, just as soon as I had felt his weight on me, I felt the cool air of the outside world and the soft silky fabric of a scarf under my hand. I wanted to open my eyes but I didn't dare.

"It's safe now, open your eyes." His voice was deep, but he couldn't have been much older than me. Slowly I opened my eyes, and found myself staring into this boys deep brown ones. He had a mess of blond hair, and he wore a thick green scarf around his neck and shoulders. He let me down and I realized we were up on the roof.

"What are you doing here? It's dangerous." He stated coolly. I gave a huff; I couldn't exactly let him know I was here on spirit detective business.

"I could ask you the same question." He seemed like a complete human, though I found it weird how we got to the roof so fast.

"I um… was worried about my friends that were here..." I answered vaguely. He hummed a bit.

"Yeah, I've seen a couple of girls running around."

"But that doesn't answer my question, why are you here?" He smirked before answering me

"That's for me to know." I became slightly frustrated.

"I told you why I was here!"

"Yes, but you didn't _have_ too." He pointed out. This boy was sort of pissing me off a bit. He seemed about to say something else when Shea's voice cut in.

"Mimiko?" She looked at the boy next to me, and I guess whatever look she might have been giving him made him nervous, because he quickly whispered his name to me.

"I'm Yuudai." He then brushed past Shea and down the roof stairwell. After he was out of sight I rushed over to Shea.

"Shea! How did you- I mean I-"

"Yuki came back and saved my ass." She answered, motioning to the fox that appeared next to her.

"Shea, I'm sorry I…" She held up a hand, warning me to shut up.

"It's okay. I told you to go." There was another moment of silence between us, but I didn't sense any tension in the air.

"I wonder how Botan and Keiko are…" Shea said finally, slipping her fingers across Yuki's silky white fur. I shrugged.

"Let's hope Loki's okay too."

"Who?"

"Orange hair? Hiei's servant?"

"Oh her. Whatever, maybe they're with her." I rolled my eyes, there was really no getting to Shea, I supposed.

"Who was that guy?" Noticing she was referring to Yuudai, I sighed.

"He said his name was Yuudai. I don't know much about him, but he saved me."

"Well, if he saved you, then he's good in my book. Plus, he's kind of hot."

"Shea!" Shea blinked innocently.

"What? I'm not actually thirteen." I gave a huff of frustration.

"You're forgetting about your boyfriend!" Shea looked genuinely confused, scratching her oddly colored hair in order to express this confusion.

"Boyfriend….who in hell are you talking abou- Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! I already told you Kurama doesn't think of me like that!" I turned and stuck my tongue at her, my voice rising in an innocent tone of my own.

"Now, who in the world said I was talking about Kurama?" Shea's face must have burned about five different shades of red.

"You know what; let's stop talking about this…" I really, really wanted to go and find the other girls, but Shea and I didn't dare move from the roof, not for hours. When the sun finally set, we ventured down the stairs. A scream suddenly ripped through the air, and we ventured to the source, finding Keiko there. She was crouched over Botan's body, and quite a few fainted men and woman were strewn out and around her. Their skin was no longer blue, but a regular, normal color for skin.

"Keiko are you okay? What happened to Botan?" Keiko looked at me, before casting a greatful glance to Botan.

"Botan got knocked out trying to save me… they surrounded us… but when I opened my eyes, they were all on the floor." I guessed Yusuke must have broken the Mekai whistle. I gave Keiko a reassuring look.

"Well don't worry, everything is fine now." Shea gave a chuckle, while looking around the ruined hallway.

"Well we managed to turn this place into a battlefield."

"Relax Mutt, it isn't like any one really wants human schools anyway." I was relieved, unlike Shea, to see Loki coming down the hall.

"Loki, you're okay!" Loki gave me a shrug.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're an idiot?" Shea snorted, sparking a newfound rage in Loki that caused them to start arguing…again. Keiko looked concerned, but I waved it off.

"Don't worry; these fights are becoming quite normal."

So everything turned out okay. The rest of the team came home, explaining that Yusuke had used his life energy, an energy that can only be accessed after all Spirit energy is drained and the user is in dire need of it. Though Koenma warned me it should never be used. With his life energy, Yusuke managed to defeat the last Saint beast and save Keiko….then the idiot almost managed to die again, though I was also told Kuwabara saved him. Kuwabara, Yusuke and I ended up out of school for a good week too. I spent most of the time with Kouhei and Shin, and as far as I heard, Hiei and Loki were still somewhere in town.

All in all, I was just glad that that mission was over with. Then again…. I had to wonder about that Yuudai guy… who in hell was he?


	22. Shea's 'Heart of Stone'

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline.

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**A/N: Well, it's a snow day, so I thought what better way to spend it than writing! Okay that isn't exactly what I thought but it was a good time to get this chapter out. I just got this idea to give it a break in between missions, so I can think of what to do about the whole Yukina thing, anyway, enjoy!

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**Chapter 22: Shea's 'Heart of Stone', Hari and Jasmine mend the wound!

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**Date: July 4****th****, 2002

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**Normal P.O.V.**

"I'm sorry, but, I'm afraid we've lost her." You think hearing that about your own mother would be devastating, but Shea couldn't feel anything at all. Her brother Bruno was beside her, resting against her shoulder, nerve-wracking sobs escaping his throat, yet, no tears could be found flowing down her own face. Her father had the same hardened look on his face he always had as he spoke with the doctor. Only a few hours before, her mother had gone boating with a friend of hers. It began to storm, so they decided to dock the boat, but the waves were choppy, and Shea's mother's friend couldn't slow the boat down, so the boat slammed into one of the piers. Her mother had died almost as soon as she was rushed to the hospital. The doctor watched her as she lifted her brother's head from her shoulder, and promptly stood up. Her father normally would scream at her for being so abrupt, but he couldn't find anything to say.

'_I'm such an idiot. I should be sad…Shouldn't I?' _The colorful umbrella she opened over herself swayed with the wind as she walked farther and farther away from the hospital.

'_Maybe I'm bitter.'_ After all, her mother did care for her. Yet… She always allowed Shea's father to do whatever he wanted. It might have been out of fear, but any mother would have put their child's safety over their own. The rain beat steadily on the umbrella over her head. She didn't know what to feel. Sad, angry, anxious… none of those normal feelings would come. She just felt strangely empty. A soft mewl brought her from her thoughts, and she slowly lifted her head. A soaking wet cardboard box sat only a few feet from her, moving occasionally, yet she couldn't see what was inside from where she was standing.

So she ventured closer, kneeling down and peering into the box. Two kittens sat there, cold, wet, and they also looked hungry. The first looked bigger than the second, moving around despite how heavy its thick tortoise-shell coat may have been with all the rain it soaked up. The next was lying down, totally silent, but it was beautiful. Its white coat glistened against the rain, and it sort of stared through her with piercing blue eyes. The tortoise-shell mewled again, which brought Shea's attention to it as it came up to her, placing its paws against the box.

"Why…are you here?" she managed. Was she really talking to a pair of kittens? The kitten meowed, and Shea realized how helpless they looked. Her mother would have let her keep them…but her opinion couldn't matter anymore… her father would chase them away. She stood up once again and began to walk away, but another defenseless mewl came from the box. She turned only to see the cats staring back at her from the box.

"No, I can't take you!" She called at them. The way they were staring at her though…it was sort of like, how she was now. They didn't seem like they knew what they were doing, and they seemed completely lost. Something about them just brought Shea's walls down completely, if not for more than a moment.

"Who would leave you here?" She had to guess someone who thought it would be fun to have cats, and then realized they couldn't take care of them. Still, to leave them in a box and forget about them was cruel for sure. She reached one arm into the box, and the kittens did not react hostility. Instead, they sniffed at her arm and licked at it, trying to figure out what it was.

'_I can't take them, I can't, if my father saw them, it'd be worse than if they were sitting in this box in a hurricane…' _ But somehow, she ended up taking the white one into her arms. It batted at the necklace she was wearing, quite playfully. Its meow was a bit of a higher pitch than the tortoise-shell's meow had been, but it was just as adorable. Setting the kitten back in the box for a moment, she picked up the other one, who was shivering. It curled closer to her chest, relaxing as it found the girl's warming body heat. Sighing, she mentally cursed herself for going against her better judgment.

"You guys don't have a mother either do you?" the tortoise-shell kitten mewled, while the other one didn't seem to react to her voice at all. "Well, let's go then." Scooping the both of them up, she noted the 'Free kittens to good homes' on the side of the box and began to walk off. Both Kittens were rested safely against her warm body and she brought them into her garage.

It had been a long walk home, and her father and her brother were home yet. She walked in silently and headed to the bathroom to collect some towels. She stopped a moment as she passed her mother's study. Peering into it, she sighed again before continuing on. Still mixed emotions haunted her. After getting what she needed, she headed outside and into her garage. She curled up old towels to make a small bed, and placed the young kittens into it. Each mewled as she put them down, and she poured milk into a bowl, setting it out in front of them and letting them drink. The rain pounded against the roof, but Shea was focused on the kittens.

"You'll be safe with me, as far as I can help it…Hari and Jasmine."

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**Date: July 5****th****, 2002

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**Mimiko's P.O.V**

It hadn't been too far in the morning when I got a phone call. I didn't really know who to expect at seven in the morning, but I stretched and picked up my phone. It surprised me who answered when I said hello.

"Mimiko?" Kurama's voice spilled into my ear's like a new wake-up call. Slowly I sat up, yawning.

"You never call me. What's going on?" I questioned, not being able to help the small curious tinge to my voice. Kurama sighed on the other line, which told me it probably wasn't good.

"Shea's mother died yesterday." That was perfect. Just what I wanted to hear at seven in the morning, thank you Kurama. I sneezed, which is what normally happened when I became uncomfortable with a conversation.

"She...died?"

"Yes." I blinked, confused as to what I was hearing.

"How?"

"It was a boating accident, yesterday, out in the storm, she and her friend didn't make it." I raised an eye brow, I couldn't really cry for her, but Shea was probably devastated.

"How's Shea?" I asked next, Kurama sighed.

"That's the problem, her brother says she's been in the garage since last night, and her father hasn't bothered to go get her out, he says it would be better to let her vent whatever she might be feeling." Well that was a lie, Shea's father probably would have cared less if she went and lived in the garage.

"You want me to check on her?" Kurama affirmed it, but said instead it would be a good idea if we checked together, so I allowed him to pick me up at my house.

"Mimiko, where are you off to?" My father said as I entered the nook to our house. I shrugged.

"My friend Shuichi is picking me up." My father raised his eyebrow.

"Shuichi? Is this a boy I should know about?" I waved my hands frantically.

"No dad, he's Shea's boyfriend I-I mean he isn't but everyone thinks he should be and-…ah…Shia's mother died last night…" He looked up from his newspaper.

"Poor girl… but what does this have to do with this boy?" He asked, looking back down at his newspaper.

"Shia's been sitting in her garage since last night, he seems worried about her, and he asked me to come with him to check on her."

"Alright, as long as he isn't_ your _boyfriend." I rolled my eyes, which thankfully my father didn't catch.

"Of course not." I saw Kurama standing on the sidewalk outside of my house, and my father looked up at him.

"I don't know…he looks like a ladies' man…" I sighed.

"Don't worry; I have no attraction to him." Bounding off before I got his answer, I greeted Kurama and we started off. I adjusted my sweater, which lay loose over my shoulder, and tossed him a look.

"Are you worried?" I asked as we finally walked in step with each other. Thank goodness it was the weekend, or Shea might have cut school, which at this point she couldn't afford.

"I'm not certain how Shea would react to this. Though this was her mother, it wasn't her real mother."

"What are you talking about?"

"She was born a demon, which means she had a mother before her human mother." Surely there had to have been some connection between Shea and her human mother. I shook my head, but didn't say anything else to Kurama, instead walking silently next to him. I got a few jealous looks from some passing girls, but they looked away from me before I got a chance to retort.

"Are you always this popular?"

"Un…fortunately. " As soon as we reached Shea's house, he led me to the garage, and I gave the door a knock.

"Shea? Open up! It's Mimiko and Kurama!" The door opened enough for us to get in, and we found Shea on the floor, but not in tears like I expected. Two kittens were chasing each other around her, occasionally stopping to rub up against her back.

"What's with the cats?" I questioned. Shea shrugged, running her hand down the white kitten's back.

"I found them last night."

"I heard about your mother-"Shea silenced me by raising her hand.

"Don't even start if you're going to say you're sorry." There was so much hostility behind her words that it almost hurt. Kurama was a bit more delicate when talking to her.

"Where did you find the kittens, Shea?"

"Outside of the park in a box. It was raining so I took them home." Kurama's eyes showed a slight pang of fear before it flickered away. He wasn't an easy book to read.

"You know your father doesn't like animals. You have Yuki."

"Of course I have Yuki, but he can deal with cats. I don't care what my father thinks, let him throw me out if he wants too, Hari and Jasmine need me." I blinked, puzzled. She named them already? Shea picked up the first kitten, and held it firmly in her arms. The little white ball of fuzz yelped in surprise.

"This is Jasmine." She muttered, motioning to the fluffy tortoise-shell coated cat with her head.

"And he's Hari." I had to wonder if that was short for Hatari or something like that, but it didn't really matter at that point.

"I was going to take them to the vet." She said next, letting Jasmine back down on the floor. Before I could say anything, Kurama beat me to it.

"That's a great idea; we should go with you, right Mimiko?" The way he looked at me told me I should agree.

"Yeah, that'd be fun." Next thing I knew, we had ended up at the city's animal hospital. Not the way I had planned on spending my day at all. I sat on one side of Shea, while Kurama sat on the other side. The kittens were nestled in a basket on Shea's knees.

"Mommy, they sound like kitties!" A little girl said as she passed by. Shea smiled slightly before looking down, happiness fading to bitterness. Was it because of the girl's mother? Kurama noticed her hostile attitude too and flipped open the basket, Shea instantly relaxed when the Kittens poked their heads out.

Once the vet saw us, she said that the cats were healthy, but Jasmine was deaf, and that was common in kittens with her eye and fur color. Shea didn't seem to mind it; she simply gave Jasmine a pat and hauled her back into the basket with Hari.

"Mimiko?" Shea said later, while the three of us were sitting outside the garage. I looked over, silently giving her a questioning look.

"Can you go check on Hari and Jasmine please?" She asked, looking briefly at Kurama. I shrugged and stepped inside. Both kittens were asleep, curled up together in the soft mess of towels Shea had set up for them. I stroked lightly across Hari's fur, but he didn't stir at my touch, he just continued in his soft breathing.

Jasmine swatted at the air, before resting her outstretched paw on Hari's body. I got up, wondering why Shea had been worried about them in the first place. Heading outside, I spotted Shea, now buried against Kurama, her body shaking occasionally. I could tell Kurama knew I was there, but he didn't raise his head to acknowledge me. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it when I realized why Shea was so upset. It was a late reaction to her mother's death, and Kurama must have brought it out of her, somehow. He always came across to me as that person who could get anything out of anyone. I had to wonder if he'd realize at some point how urgently she'd need him as a life partner. Then again, Shea was positive he'd never think of her as a girlfriend.

Somehow, just by the way he treated her, I doubted that greatly.


	23. The Ice Maiden and the Billionaire!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline.

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**A/N: Alright, so of course I haven't forgotten this story, and this chapter has been written in my notebook for a while, so I hope you enjoy! As usual, school has me busy and all but I'll of course continue to write this, even if the chapters do take a bit of time to come out with, I haven't given up!

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**Chapter 23: The Ice Maiden and the Billionaire!

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**Date: July 8****th****, 2002

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"So, she's got cats now?" Mr. Iwamouto's's third period class was business as usual just before the bell. I hadn't seen Yusuke in a few days, counting the fact that he skipped the day before.

"Yeah, and try to be sensitive around the subject of her mother, it's only been a few days." Yusuke nodded, his arm slung over his chair. I noticed what looked like a video on his desk and blinked.

"What's that?"Yusuke followed my gaze before answering.

"Our next case from Spirit World." I sighed and slapped my hand over my forehead.

"Can't he ever just brief us like a normal boss?"

"I don't think so." I flipped my brown hair over my shoulder before shrugging.

"Well I guess we don't exactly have a normal job." I reasoned, to which Yusuke sighed that he wished we did. When he asked me if we could use my VCR, I had to explain that my housekeeper accidently broke it while cleaning. He said it was fine and he'd pester Kuwabara about it later.

"Mimiko!" I stopped and turned on my heel at the voice. It was lunch time, and I was just on my way out, when Keiko came running up to me.

"Hey Keiko…is something wrong?" I asked once she caught up to me. She fumbled with the books in her arms for a moment before she spoke.

"No but…I heard that…Yusuke had another case from that junior detective agency." I bit my tongue to keep from laughing out loud. Was that what Botan told her?

"Uhm, yes, he does."

"You're his partner in that, right?" I nodded. For some reason, the word 'partner' rubbed me the wrong way.

"Yeah, what do you need?"

"Can you tell him…to make sure he's careful? I'm not to sure what it is exactly what you guys do…but.."

"I understand." Her look was grateful, and we quickly parted ways, lunchtime was never that long anyway.

"So Mimi, how has that job been lately?" Kouhei asked as we entered ninth period. Shin didn't really say anything, but looked at me with a certain interest.

"Alright I guess…We have a new case." Kouhei's worried expression told me something was up as we sat down.

"Mi, we've been worried." Shin muttered admittedly. I didn't have to wonder why, exactly. The look in their eyes said it all.

"Guys I'm not dead yet." Kouhei sighed.

"You almost died last time." I suddenly recalled the incident where they saved me from the human Zombie.

"And you've died before." Shin pointed out.

"The first time I died by chance!" I defended. "Besides, this mission isn't as dangerous as the last one." Granted, I didn't know how dangerous this mission was, lying about it seemed like a good plan at the time. After school, I texted Shea and told her to meet us up on Kuwabara's street.

"Kuwabara, it was nice of you to let us use your VCR." I commented, dragging myself along just behind Yusuke.

"Well, you know, just doing what a man's got to do." I shrugged; at least he had all the right intentions. Shea came into view as we got to Kuwabara's house. There was a small black carrier dangling from her arm. No one questioned it until we got to Kuwabara's room.

"What's in the bag anyway?" Shea looked up at Kuwabara before gently releasing the latch. Crawling from it came Hari and Jasmine. Kuwabara picked up Hari and examined him, hiding his inner giddiness. Botan, Yusuke, and I all knew of his secret love of kittens, however.

"Nice coat, good teeth…ahem, nice cat." He wouldn't let go of poor Hari, but the kitten was purring away. Jasmine settled down shyly next to Shea, who stroked her fur gently.

"They're absolutely adorable but why did you bring your cats dear?" Shea fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Well, normally when we have a case I don't go home for days…there's no one to take care of them if I'm not there…" I placed a hand on her shoulder as a sign I understood. Yuki popped his head out of the carrier, jumping onto Shea's shoulder and brushing his furry back against her cheek. Kuwabara, still holding Hari, placed the video in the VCR slot.

"Urameshi, remember, I don't care what this mission is, I'm not getting involved." Yusuke nodded his agreement, not saying much more than a whatever. The video seemed to change the carrot tops mind, however. Koenma, in a flashy little display, told us of an Ice maiden, Yukina, who cried tears that turned into valuable jewels when they came into contact with the open air. She was kidnapped by a crime lord named Ganzu Tarukane, for her tears. He even showed us a photo of her.

She was locked in a high tower, behind bars armed with what seemed to be sutras. She was amazingly stunning. Soft, yet sad crimson eyes, teal hair held up by a single red ribbon or something of the sort. The name Yukina suited her wonderfully. Our job, which was easily guessed, was to venture to Tarukane's stronghold and rescue her. Hari was dropped to the floor, and Kuwabara's face was completely red.

"Come on guys, we've got to save her!" Shea raised her eyebrow, and Botan had an amused look on her face, laced with slight confusion.

"What happened to 'Urameshi I don't want to get involved.'?" Yusuke asked, mocking Kuwabara's voice best he could.

"This is different now Urameshi, it's a…a…fight for my love!"…His love? This made me wonder if he fell in love with every girl he saw. Someone cleared their throat and we turned. Standing in the doorway was an older woman, holding a tray in one hand, using the other to flip her brown hair. She was smoking a cigarette. Yuki took cover beneath Shea's long purple mane of hair.

"Oh Hey sis, what are you doing here?" Kuwabara asked nervously. The older girl rolled her eyes.

"I live here, little bro. I heard you had your friends over and thought you could use snacks or something." I peered over at the ongoing video nervously, even if Botan told us all normal humans could see was fuzz, how long had she been standing in the doorway? Kuwabara cleared his own throat before speaking.

"Shizuru I need money for the bus." He rasped. Shizuru pulled out a small wallet and threw it at him, and he was gone.

"Does he even know where he's going?" Shea questioned nonchalantly.

"No, but he'll be back when he realizes that." She asked us if we could play the video again, and though we tried to convince her were just watching fuzz, we soon realized she had high spiritual awareness and could see the video just as well as we could.

"I guess you've all got to go somewhere huh? Just take care of my baby brother please. He's kind of an idiot sometimes." I gave a nod and watched as Shea started to pack away the kittens, Yuki slipping unseen by Shizuru into the carrier as well. Shizuru seemed to sense Shea's discomfort, because she walked over to her.

"Hey, do you want me to take care of those cats for you while you're away? Kazuma's cat could use the company anyway." Shea looked grateful, but handed her only Hari.

"Um…Jasmine is deaf…So I'd rather take her with me. I need to gain he trust early." Though Yusuke wasn't too thrilled with cat sitting, we waited until Kuwabara returned and left the Kuwabara residence that night. Being me, I forgot to tell my father I was leaving for a few days. He was going to have a cow.

"Last boarding for the bus to the Furukawa City area!" Shea let Jasmine onto the ground after attaching a harness and a cat lead on her.

"Well, we should get onto the bus before it leaves without us." Botan suggested, handing us each a ticket. The bus ride there wasn't too bad, but it was long. Shea, Botan and Kuwabara didn't have much trouble getting to sleep, but that left Yusuke and I. I patted Shea, who was comfortably sleeping beside me, before turning to Yusuke. The only light I had was that of the moon, but it was shining on his face, and I could see his expression clearly.

"Do…you think this case will be hard Yusuke?" I asked, staring blankly up at him.

"Well I can't say it's going to be easy, but I think we'll be okay." Yusuke's answer was soft, which made me question the assurance that was supposed to give me. Though I smiled and stared back out the window, up at the moon.

"You know, when I was little, my dad always told me the moon followed you everywhere you went?" I recalled, the glow brining back some fond memories.

"And you believed it?" I became flustered, and half yelled half whispered at him.

"I was a kid, what do you think?" Yusuke held up his hands defensively.

"I was kidding, geez!" After a few seconds of staring at each other like we were mad at one another, we let out some quiet laughter.

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**Date: July 9****th****, 2002

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We arrived at our bus stop the next morning, which was placed in front of a vast forest.

"Did I ever mention that I hate nature?" Yusuke asked as we stepped off the bus. Shea rested loosely at Botan's side. She was still groggy from being woken up so suddenly, and almost getting attack by her told me she wasn't exactly a friendly morning person. Jasmine was still asleep in the cat carrier, and I had to wonder how smoothly this would all go with a cat running around.

"Well, let's start by getting down this cliff, they didn't exactly make this place visitor friendly." Botan motioned to the woods that were only a small climb down. Shea looked down, then back at the empty street. Kuwabara was already climbing down when Shea asked the question I neglected too.

"Where are Hiei and his servant? I was wondering why I haven't heard any bitching so far." Botan went unsteady for a moment.

"Well, we didn't want Hiei to come on this case…" I raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Why not?"

"Yukina you see, she's Hiei's sister." Shea, Yusuke, and I all exchanged curious glances with one another.

"Hiei's sister?"

"Yukina doesn't know he's her brother…and don't tell Kuwabara either, that would be for the best if he didn't know the relation. If Hiei knew that these people were keeping Yukina, he'd kill them all." I shrugged.

"What's so bad about that, no bad guys, no problem, right?" Shea sighed.

"Wrong. Demons are not allowed to kill humans, and if Hiei kills anyone, he and Kurama will probably end up in jail."

"Why Kurama?"

"Partners in crime I suppose." Yusuke scratched his head.

"Is that why you had him give me the video?"

"Precisely." Yusuke shrugged before sliding his way down the cliff after Kuwabara. Shea, after checking for any humans in the area, flew Botan and I down the cliff. The dirt path seemed to wind on forever, and I was starting to have some doubts as Kuwabara led the pack of us along.

"Mimiko, what if we run into some giant again…one like Gouki?" Shea asked. She had been wary of buff giant men/demons ever since Gouki half blinded her. Her stomach growled and I crossed my arms.

"Have you been eating properly?"

"Lately? I wish. You can forget about dear old daddy cooking, I can't boil water, and my brother barley cooks anything." Botan sighed.

"We can eat later, but we have to keep moving for now." Shea nodded her agreement.

"Alright." I soon felt more comfortable moving so freely. No one had come along to try and attack us yet. Unfortunately, I wasn't exactly destined to be comfortable like that for long. Something was waiting for us. A man in a black suit waited for us, and it made me nervous. Yusuke stood defensively in front of Botan and I, while Kuwabara took up a stance in front of Shea, calling up his spirit sword.

"What do you want?" Yusuke's voice came out as a low growl, a warning he didn't feel like getting into any situations which would piss him off. Jasmine stirred slightly in the carrier, and the man adjusted his suit.

"Actually sir, I believe you are on Mr. Tarukane's property, and you must be dealt with." Without a warning, the man turned into something entirely different. His skin turned green and his suit was quickly ripped apart as he grew into a giant tentacle demon. Yuki came shooting out from the carrier, fire raising up around him as he became tiger-sized. Kuwabara jumped back.

"Whoa!" Yuki growled as his tails swayed behind him, kneeling in front of Kuwabara.

"W-what is it?" Shea tapped his arm.

"He wants you to get on his back." The monster's voice interrupted.

"Come on spirit detectives! Surely you aren't scared!" He teased.

"Don't be stupid. We were just stalling so you had a bit more time to live." Yusuke mocked, watching as Kuwabara awkwardly climbed onto Yuki's back. Without even a warning roar, Yuki took to the air, freaking Kuwabara out as he circled the demon. It lashed out, but Yuki avoided the hit quite easily. Kuwabara and Yusuke clearly had things under control. They attacked in unison, taking the monster out in one shot. Yuki landed on the ground beside Yusuke and let Kuwabara off.

"Good boy Yuki." Shea praised, patting him softly.

"Kuwabara, you seem awfully hurried today." Botan commented as we both came out from hiding behind Yusuke.

"Well, my pinky string is leading me, and nothing is going to stop me from reaching my beloved!" Shea looked on at him with a curiosity shining in her eyes.

"Pinky string?" If I looked away for a second, I didn't notice Kuwabara slip on what he called 'the headband of love'.

"They say that lovers are tied together by the red pinky string of love! So that way, they are never separated, and my Yukina is waiting for me! Hold on Yukina, I'm coming for you my love!" Before any of us could get a word in edgewise, he hopped ahead of us, pinky outstretched in front of him. Shea shook her head.

"He takes video dating to a whole new level, doesn't he?" Yusuke shrugged.

"He takes most things to a whole new level. Stupidity, Video dating, cat obsessions…" He continued listing as he walked away.

"Though the pinky string thing does sound interesting…" Botan stated, and our gazes wandered to Shea, who narrowed her good eye at us.

"Next person who mentions who I think they are going to mention is getting pelted to death by Shards." Her voice was monotone, making it hard to tell if she was serious as she started after Yusuke. A chuckle passed Botan's lips.

"We really have to play matchmaker sometime!" I smiled, following behind her as she trailed after Shea and the boys.

"Agreed." We continued on until the sun almost went down, when Botan suddenly got caught and pulled up into a giant Spider web.

"Botan stop hanging around!" I called from below.

"I can't get down! Help!" she responded, and from the corner of my eye I could see a giant spider-like creature approaching her.

"Botan!" Yusuke shouted, his eyes darting from the ferry-girl to the creature. The creature, a demon, told us its name but was cut short by Kuwabara, who shouted he was getting in the way, freeing Botan and killing the bug off in little time at all. Easier than what I would have done, which was scream and run. After that, it came to a point it got dark and we couldn't go on anymore. The boys gathered some wood and Yuki started a fire by placing the flames around his ankles on the wood. Shea let Jasmine out of the carrier to walk around, which the kitten was grateful for. The fire illuminated our faces in orange as we sat around it, Botan passing us a few scraps of food she had brought with her.

"So, anyone got anything interesting to say?" Yusuke asked awkwardly, taking a bite of the provided food.

"I don't understand why we can't keep going, Yukina needs my help!" Shea rolled her eyes, sharing a bit of the food she had with Jasmine, which annoyed me because she barley ate herself, according to her.

"Please. You're dead on your feet, you'd be no help to Yukina if you get killed before we reached her." Kuwabara stared blankly at the younger girl for a moment before silently returning to his dinner.

"Well, I think rest will be good for us, we can have a fresh take on things." Botan offered. Yuki extinguished the battle fire around his ankles and laid back against a tree. Shea finished off her dinner and stood up, Jasmine bounding after her as she made her way over to Yuki.

"If anyone wants a warm place to sleep, find somewhere around Yuki. Without another word, she settled down on Yuki's furry mid-section and fell asleep.

"Guess she was really tired." I nodded at Botan's words.

"I guess so." Yuki had a tail wrapped around Shea and Jasmine, but used his last two tails to cover Kuwabara and Yusuke as they settled against the tree, and Botan and I made ourselves comfortable near his front. There was some conversation, but it quickly died out as we fell asleep one by one.


	24. Minefield Part One: Yusa, first of three

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline.

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**A/N: Well, I got bored so….yeah here you go. Really running out of stuff to say in author's notes~

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**Chapter 24: Minefield Part One: Yusa, first of three!

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** Date: July 10****th****, 2002

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It wasn't very long before we were on the dirt path again, on our way to rescue Yukina. The stronghold wasn't to far away either, it was to a point we could see it farther off in the distance. It had been a strange night for me however. I felt like we were being watched all night. A few times I thought I saw flashes of black and green in the trees. Maybe it was Hiei and Loki, but I kind of hoped it wasn't.

"So, is everyone ready to go?" Botan questioned after stalling us in our tracks. She looked from one person to the other. Shea made sure Jasmine was securely packed in her carrier before she nodded.

"As I'll ever be." Yusuke leaned back a bit before nodding himself.

"Ready to kick some ass." We all had to run when we realized Kuwabara had already run far ahead of us. We hadn't even gotten too far before I felt a large pressure and was knocked over, scooped up by something that seemed to have some kind of blades that were threatening to puncture my stomach.

"Mimiko!" I heard Botan cry out. Shea's name was called out by Kuwabara moments later, telling me she must have been in trouble too. When I dared to open my eyes, I was pretty high in the air. Down below, Botan now had the cat carrier, and Yuki was in his larger form, white fire blazing brightly around his ankles as he tried again and again to harm whatever was holding us. Kuwabara and Yusuke were in on the brawl too, trying to cut Shea and I loose. Whatever had us turned suddenly, bowling the fighters over with what seemed to be the tail that was being used to hold me, almost giving me whiplash.

A thick mist Appeared around the creature, allowing it to disappear, and the panic of our team mates faded as we were dragged away. Neither Shea nor I dared to speak, incase this thing killed us for it. The creature came to a halt in some dark place, and dropped me first, followed by Shea. Lights flickered on and I got my first good look at the beast. It looked like a dinosaur, like a brontosaurus to be more precise. Its eyes were beady, black, and menacing. Its long teeth were razor sharp, and they jutted out of its mouth. Equally sharp blades lined its green back and tail. This was a demon for sure, but of what kind?

I realized we were now fenced in, some kind of barrier to keep anything that could fly inside over the top. Shea hobbled over to me, probably having injured her leg after being dropped from that height and falling the wrong way or something.

"You okay?" I asked, glancing at her leg. She looked down at it and shrugged.

"Peachy, but how do we get rid of that thing?" She pointed up at the beast that was advancing on us. It was over to us before we could make a move, bringing its tail down on us. It hit me with an un-spiked part, but I only missed the blade by a few inches. Shea was lucky too, and she had gotten herself airborne, the purple wings on her back working double time. She paused and spun around in such a fast manner I couldn't see anything but the tornado that was forming around her.

"Rainbow Tornado!" Shards flew in all directions, lodging themselves into the beast's skin, making it roar in pain. Its tail flew up, giving me the freedom to move while it tried to hit Shea. Quickly, I formed my energy ball in my hands, and thought of Shea, who I really didn't want to harm.

"Tomoshibi -Mari!" the ball of light smacked into the creature's massive body, knocking it off balance. It staggered but didn't fall, telling me that it certainly wasn't going to fall easily.

"Mimiko, that thing is a hell creature, like Yuki!" Looking at the giant beast in front of me, I believed that.

"So how do we take care of it?" I asked. If Shea and I couldn't take it down, what would finish it? The situation seemed so hopeless. Yuki suddenly came charging out of nowhere, which made me wonder if he had chased after the creature and traced it all the way here. He crashed into the monster with full force, using his whole body weight, it looked like. He yelped out as the beast sunk its teeth into his sides, lifting him up and slamming him into the ground.

"Yuki!" Shea cried, I had to hold her back from running to his side, as bad as I felt about that. If I had let her go, the creature would have killed her.

"Let me go, that thing is going to kill Yuki!"

"If you try and save him you'll only end up dead yourself!" I argued, trying to continue to hold her back by her shoulders.

"He's my closest friend! I can't let him die, not here…not like this…" Her voice trailed, and I watched unable to help as the lumbering creature prepared to stab the blades on its tail right through poor Yuki, who couldn't even get up.

"Yusa!" A voice I could have sworn I heard before rang through the air and the creature stopped in its tracks. To my complete astonishment, Yuudai came into view, jumping onto Yusa's as he called it, back and making quick work of jumping around it, a faster speed than I had ever seen any human move in my life. When he stopped, he pulled his arm back and something ignited. Fire lit up in a straight line, and covered Yusa's body in a fashion you would see string wrapped around a package. Yusa roared and tumbled to the ground as the fire burned its skin and engulfed it.

"It will finish it soon. Yusa's are hell creatures made by modern human science, and in simpler terms, they aren't the smartest creatures out there." Yuudai explained as he moved so Shea could run past him and to Yuki's side.

"Yuudai…" Yuudai's gaze shifted so his eyes rested on me.

"So I see you remember me…then again it hasn't been that long since I last encountered you." He said, flipping his hair so it was led away from his face.

"How did you get here?" There was no way that he could have broken through the fence around us, or gotten past the barrier up top.

"Doesn't matter. How did you get here?"

"We were carried here by that thing!" Yuudai rolled his eyes.

"And there you go again. I wasn't forcing you to tell me how you got here. You really need to learn not to give up information so easily." Giving him a frustrated sigh, I shuffled my feet.

"What did you do to that Yusa?" Yuudai's eyes flickered in the direction of the charred body.

"Ignition strings." Was his simple answer, though he wouldn't tell me how he was able to light the string with fire without the strings burning up. He showed me the nearly invisible string before putting it away and coolly looking ahead of us. Yuki was now on his feet, however injured he was, and he limped over to us with Shea. Shea's eyes lit with recognition before returning to normal.

"You're that kid-"Yuudai didn't let her think of his name, as he started to walk ahead of us.

"Come on, I'm getting the two of you through his place." He called over his shoulder.

"Yuudai!" Yuudai stopped and turned back, his green scarf ruffled as he faced me.

"….What… are you…?" Yuudai locked his gaze with my own for a second or two, before exhaling deeply and starting to walk again. I noticed a hint of pain that shone in his eyes.

"It's not important." Watching him walk away, I realized that who I was dealing with certainly wasn't a Human, yet...he didn't seem like a demon either. So if niether of those, what was he? Why did He show up when I was in trouble, Twice now, and how did he know where to find me?


	25. Mindfield Part Two: The Wolf Master

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my characters and the extra parts of Yu Yu Hakusho's Plotline.**

**A/N: So, sorry about the wait. This has been written up for a while, I just had yet to get it out. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 25: Minefield, Part Two, The Wolf Master**

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**Date: July 10th, 2002**

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Shea and I followed behind Yuudai as he led us across the area. I was sort of comfortable with him being around, but Shea looked really concerned and on end.

"What's wrong Shea?" I asked in a low whisper. She glanced over at me, Yuki following behind her as fast as he could.

"He's different." I frowned at this. Shea wasn't making any sense.

"Shea, we're all different." She shook her head vigorously.

"That's not what I meant. He's…just, not normal." I was very puzzled by what she could have meant by that. It was hard to believe, by his appearance, that he was anything but a normal human. Though…the energy he emitted was a bit strange.

"Well, whatever the hell he is, at least he helped us out." There was a cold wind behind us and I felt a hand on my back.

"It's not very nice to talk about people behind their back you know." Shea and I gasped in surprise when Yuudai suddenly appeared in between us.

"H-how did you- you were just-"

"I move quickly." As if that wasn't obvious. The four of us stopped in our tracks as the wind picked up and Shea stood completely still, her eyes wide with fear.

"What's the matter?" I questioned softly, looking past Yuudai to my younger friend.

"I smell wolves. A lot of them too." Yuki's fur stood on end, and I stiffened. Wolves had always been scary to me. Kouhei used to tell me stories of people getting hunted by wolves where she used to live. So in all honesty, the thought of them terrified me. Yuudai must of felt how tense I had become, because his grip on my back tightened.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you or your friend." He promised. Howling started up, and Shea claimed the musky scent was getting stronger. A snarl ripped through the air and Shea quickly maneuvered so the giant wolf ended up just grazing her back with its claws. It turned to us, its black fur rippling as it turned clumsily.

"There are more coming." A new voice had us all on high alert. Yuki took quickly to guarding Shea from the wolf that was already there. Someone standing on a nearby tree caught my eye. Whoever they were, they were shrouded in a black cloak.

"U-up there!" Yuudai followed my gaze, and narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" He growled, moving me back as the figure jumped from the tree to land in front of us.

"My name is of no importance, but-"the person snapped their slender fingers, and several wolves, all different colors and sizes, seemed to come out of nowhere, barking, yipping, and snarling at us. They seemed to glare at us, appetites probably raving. I noticed though, they did not once glance at the mystery person. The person raised an arm, and the wolves began their attack. Two pure white wolves flung themselves at Yuudai and I, teeth bared and claws extended. Not having time to summon an attack of my own, I buried myself against Yuudai's body. The only thing I found strange was he smelled of pine and dirt. He didn't tense up or react like most men would, but instead, I felt him shift, and his body heated up for a moment before returning to normal temperature. When I looked up again the two wolves were trapped in his ignition strings, burning. It smelled horrible. The spool was in his hand, and I figured he must have found a way to wrap the string around the wolves without moving.

"Come on." We had to keep moving in order to get away from the wolves. One cinnamon colored wolf jumped between me and Yuudai, blocking me off as more wolves surrounded him. I couldn't get passed my fear, so I couldn't fend off the wolf advancing on me.

"Rainbow shards!" Several shards dug into the wolf's skin, scaring it away, and it seemed to be returning to its master. Shea landed in front of me, bleeding from bite wounds on her wings and arms.

"Oh my gosh…Shea, are you okay?" Shea looked over her wounds and gave a shrug.

"I might have rabies or something, but I'm fine." Yuki was cradled in her arms in his smaller form.

"What happened to him?" I asked, touching his snow white fur gingerly.

"He's been in his other form for too long, so he used so much energy he fainted." I looked around after nodding to her, and noticed the wolves were no longer attacking.

"Tell me who you are, or I will light these strings, and you will burn to death." We heard Yuudai threaten. He was covered in bite wounds, but had the ignition strings wrapped tightly around the person in the cloak, and he was standing over them. Wolves stood around him, snarling, but all of them seemed to love their master too much to risk his or her life.

"Wait, Yuudai." Shea said suddenly, making her way over to them. A wolf moved to attack her, but Yuudai tugged on the string, making the person below him yelp. It sounded like a girl, but I couldn't be sure. The wolf snorted, but moved glanced at Shea, and moved when she asked him to, still clenching the strings tightly. Shea carefully pushed the cloaks hood back, and it turned out our mystery person was indeed a woman. Her green hair was long and split every which way from being under the cloak too long. Her skin was pretty pale, but it looked like she was really sick, and her emerald green eyes were dimly reflected. Shea's eyes were wide.

"Sprite…?" Sprite returned her surprised gaze. "Princess Shea… it's good to see you're alive, and that you seem well enough…" Shea took a shard she had shot earlier from the ground nearby and used the seraded edges to cut Sprite from Yuudai's strings. Yuudai didn't move to scold her, but grunted and went back to stand by me.

"What are you doing here, and why were you attacking us?" Sprite stood on shaky legs and lifted removed the cloak to reveal normal clothes underneath. She then lifted the shirt to her stomach. Over it was a giant machine of some kind.

"I'm sorry. I would have never attacked you if I had been in control of my own thoughts and body." I looked at her with a certain interest.

"What? In control?" Yuudai questioned, looking down at the machine.

"My brother and I…We were captured by the Black Black Club. We wouldn't follow their orders though, so they put these weird contraptions on us. We cannot remove them, and with them they make us do whatever they want. That tyrant Tarukane put me in this maze. He said we had some intruders, and I…can't really recall what I did then." Shea shrugged and we watched as Sprite moved to the two lifeless white wolves Yuudai had finished earlier.

"Sundrop and Moondrop were sisters. I wouldn't have sent them to attack you on my own accord…they were too weak." The cinnamon colored wolf padded up to her, letting her stroke its fur gently.

"These wolves care for me, just like any person might, and in turn I care for them. I'll miss all these wolves that died today." I looked down at the ground.

"I'm sorry we had to kill them, but…"

"I understand. I'm only saying that I will miss them dearly…" Shea heaved a sigh.

"So Temmaro got himself captured too, Idiot." She must have been referring to Sprite's brother.

"But I was purchased by Tarukane. Temmaro was brought by another man, I think his name was Sakiyo." Shea placed a hand on Sprite's shoulder.

"As soon as you get a chance, I want you to run as fast and as far away from here as you possibly can, you hear me?" Sprite gave a nod and turned to Yuudai.

"Take them out of here before Tarukane activates my machine again." Yuudai let Shea say her farwell before urging us ahead.

"Shea, who was that exactly?" Shea sighed, momentarily lost in fond memories of her past, it seemed.

"Her name was Sprite Izua. She and her brother were my closest friends back in Demon World. Her brother is a pure Thunder Demon, while she's a mix of a wolf and a Thunder Demon. As she explained further, Yuudai suddenly stopped us.

"Yuudai, what's wrong?" I asked. He only stood stiffly in front of Shea and I.

"Don't move."


	26. On the Edge! Her First Injury!

**Chapter 26: To the Edge! Her First Serious Injury!**

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**Date: July 10th, 2002**

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It took a while for Yuudai to answer me, but when he did it wasn't all too shocking for us, since he had stopped us so suddenly. Shea and I exchanged confused glances as Yuudai carefully took a step back, grabbing a twig off of the soil and throwing it. At first, it landed on the grass with no complications. Though not a moment later, the grass was set ablaze by an explosion, and I heard Shea scream and cover her ears. I shielded her and Yuudai looked back at the patch of grass that was now a simple patch of soil.

"We're in the middle of what could be hundreds of mines." He said, making me step further back. He closed his eyes, like he was trying to imagine radiating energy or something, and stepped forwards. Shea's eyes were wide as she looked at him, as if she was expecting him to explode or something, and she seemed really grateful when he didn't. Yuudai closed his eyes again and jumped to the next patch, not exploding once again.

"Follow me, and only step on the areas I step on before you." Shea seemed reluctant as I followed after Yuudai, and the two of us stopped to look back at her.

"And what should we do if you misstep and explode?" she asked, crossing her arms. Yuudai shrugged.

"Well then you'll have a wonderful view of it won't you?" he asked, jumping onto the next patch of clear grass. I followed after him and Shea finally continued on after me, hopping from space to space. I knew she could just fly, but she was tired and the wolves from before had damaged her wings pretty badly. I was amazed that she wasn't crying, but I also realized how strong she was, and she seemed to only cry for Kurama, and that was fine by me.

"Mimiko!" Yuudai's shout cut my thoughts short, and I realized I had gone far out of his trail. Panicking, I stepped back, and the next thing I knew, I felt something explode under my feet. I cried out in pain but something dragged me out of the way before the explosion of the mine could kill me. It was Yuudai who had come to my aid, dragging me from the flames, and I felt an immense pain in my right leg. I couldn't even look down to see what had happened as I was carried along,

"Shea, get the gate, that's the exit." For once, Shea didn't seem to compete with Yuudai and though my eyes were closed, I could hear the creaking of a gate and Shea and Yuudai exchanging hurried whispers, and then everything went black for me.

The next time I woke up, I was inside of a hallway, and I felt the cold marble floor on my tailbone. For a minute I thought I might be dead, but Shea was staring at me, her good eye glistening with concern. I looked around for Yuudai, and when Shea realized I was looking for him, she sighed.

"He left after he treated you. Are you okay?" She asked, glancing down at my leg. I looked down myself, seeing that Yuudai had wrapped a green scarf around my right leg, and as I reached to take it off, Shea grabbed my hand, pointing at a blood trail behind her.

"You don't want to look under there, it's pretty nasty. That mine beat up your leg pretty good, but I'm sure Kurama will be able to help you once we find him." She said in sort of a comforting tone.

"Mimiko?" A voice rung out from down the hallway, and I saw a familiar, petite carrot-top running towards us, her crimson eyes glowing in wonder. Loki stopped and knelt down next to me, looking down at my leg.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Mines happened." Shea said quickly, standing up. "Help me get her up, we have to find the others." There wasn't even the normal hostility that Shea's voice normally held for Loki as she said this and delicately tried to pick me up by my injured side. I just realized how much pain I was in and winced. Yuki watched me, his energy still spent, he could only follow Shea in his tiny form, and watch her every move carefully to make sure she didn't mess up. Loki looked surprised by the lack of hostile actions, but she nodded and picked me up by my other side, and together they carried me down the hall.

"Loki, where's Hiei?" I asked, looking around for the smaller demon. Loki shrugged in a response and shook her head.

"I don't know. I lost track of him, and I was looking for him when I found you." She went on to explain what we already knew about Yukina being Hiei's sister, and with that, it didn't take us long to reach a large door, which was locked in all senses of the word. Loki and Shea set me down and together they stared up at the obstacle in front of us.

"There's fighting going on in there." Shea announced, the fox ears on her head flickering back and forth to capture the sound. She moved her wings back and shot several sharp shards at the door, but they only bounced off. Loki opened a canteen and raised her hand, making what looked like oil pour out of it, stalling in between her two hands.

"Move." She commanded Shea. Shea glared at her, but moved back to stand next to me, and the ball of oil between Loki's hands ignited, and she was now holding a giant fire ball. Shea, though impressed, and I knew she was, hid it by looking away. Loki threw the ball at the door and it combusted, no doubt scaring at least one person on the other side. The door festered for a little while before falling down, towards us. The fire had scared me a bit, the combustion reminding me of the earlier explosion, but I shook my head.

"Took you guys long enough to get- Mimiko what the hell happened to your leg?" Yusuke asked as he was my state when the door stopped its burning.

"Just a fun little trip through a Minefield." I answered sarcastically as Shea and Loki carried me in. Botan winced as she saw the blood stained scarf, and as I looked around, I realized the fight was over. There was some big guy on the ground, skewered by one of Kuwabara's spirit swords, and I spotted Hiei beating the crap out of some…well, really ugly little creature who I only assumed could be Tarukane. The girls set me down and Botan put Shea's cat carrier on the floor, Jasmine running to meet Shea halfway. Kuwabara was sitting on the floor, only some minor wounds on him.

"Are you alright?" I asked him, since he was closest to me. Kuwabara gave me a huge grin in response, like he had just found the cure to world hunger or something and nodded.

"I feel great, little sore, but you know, guess that's normal and all." I nodded and he looked down at my own injury.

"And what about you?" He asked. I nodded and waved my hand in a so-so manner. That's when I noticed a beautiful teal haired girl in a matching Kimono step into the room. Her aura was cold, but soothing at the same time as she came towards Kuwabara. Kuwabara stiffened and I smiled.

"Hey, you're girlfriend's here." He went red at the comment, and I felt someone pick me up and carry me away from them, it was only right to give Kuwabara some privacy, since he probably worked the hardest of us all. When I was put down again I realized it was Yusuke who had gotten me to where I was and I kind of nodded at him.

"So, successful case I'm guessing?" I asked, trying to straighten out my shirt. "Sorry we couldn't really help, but you know, we were busy-"

"Fighting wolves and giant dinosaur things? I know, they showed us your problems on one of their screens, told us that if you didn't make it out that it would trigger something that would set this room on fire, killing everyone in here but Toguro and his freaky brother." Though I looked around, I didn't see anyone but the big guy on the floor whom I could only assume was Toguro.

"His brother is that sword over there." He said, motioning to the ugly, unmoving gray thing. I mouthed an oh, reminded him that we also dealt with mines, which he said they didn't show them, and he checked my leg, not letting me see the damage.

"We have to get someone on that fast." Botan walked over to us and bent down, getting in on the conversation, Shea just behind her.

"Mimiko, who was that boy with you?" She asked, and I remembered, none of them had met Yuudai. I thought about it, and maybe, Yuudai didn't want to be known yet.

"He's just a friend of mine." Botan put her fingers to her chin in thought.

"Well he seems kind of familiar, like I've seen him before." I told her that was weird, since I only met him a while ago, and Yusuke and Shea were both kind of zoning out our conversation. Someone cleared their throat delicately behind us and we turned to find Yukina standing there, bowing to us.

"Thank you so much for saving me, I don't know what I would have done without all of you working with Kazuma and being so brave." Loki raised an eyebrow and I sort of knew we were having the same thoughts. Working with Kuwabara? More like he had been working with us. Nonetheless I smiled and introduced myself.

"I'm Mimiko, and I assume you're Yukina, right?"

"Yes." We talked for a while, and she told us about her brother, someone who we all denied knowing, and it wasn't long before Kurama and Hiei joined us. Loki went to stand by Hiei's side when he glanced at her, kind of a warning to stay where she was supposed to know that her job was done, I guessed. Kurama knelt down to my level with Botan, and he gripped the scarf, but not unwrapping before allowing Kuwabara and Yusuke to lead Yukina out of the area and giving me a warning.

"Botan and Yusuke have both told me this injury is bad. If you don't want to look at it, don't." I shook my head, telling him I wanted to look, and he nodded, unwrapping the scarf over the wound. It was all covered in blood and I could tell my leg had been split a little bit. Kurama took some seeds from his pouch and warned me what he was about to do would be really painful. I didn't understand how painful until he actually touched my wound. I cried out, trying not to writhe around as he implanted the yellow seeds into the leg wound.

Once he had done what he wanted, he allowed me to relax for a moment, and both Shea and Loki looked at me, trying to tell from my eyes if I was alright or not. Botan and Kurama both placed their hands just above my injury and began using their energy to sprout the seeds, which actually made me scream. I didn't see the result until it was all over, and I had been crying so much that I had to wait until my tears cleared my eyes to see that the wound, though still kind of bloody, had closed up, and Botan began her clean up job.

"It'll hurt to walk on it for a few days, but the seeds Kurama used will make you feel completely better soon." I nodded and thank you to Kurama and then turned as Yusuke entered the room again.

"Alright, now that that's over, let's get the hell out of here." We all slowly agreed, and with some assistance, I walked out of there together, with the rest of the team. So far, we weren't doing so badly, but for some reason, in the pit of my stomach, I felt like the worst of our troubles weren't over yet, and it'd take but a matter of a week for me to figure out that I was right.

* * *

**OOC: So Sorry about the super long wait, but yeah, life got to me, along with writer's block, but I am slowly getting back on track, so if you're still reading, I certainly hoped you enjoyed the end (finally) To Yukina's rescue!**


	27. Hiei and Loki, a Servant's Bond!

**Chapter 27: Hiei and Loki, a Servant's Bond!**

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**Date: July 15th, 2002**

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**Normal P.O.V**

The wind made a couple of the scaffoldings, never to be taken off of the unfinished building that sat in the center of the town shudder as the early morning light poured over the partly open structure, the sunlight shining over a mess of handmade blankets. There was an empty cluster of blankets right next to them on the concrete floor, where someone else should have been asleep.

The blankets rustled and Loki's head peeked out from under the mess. She gave a stretch, her tired muscles betraying her as she tried to get them to wake up and she bundled over, sighing as she finally settled into an upright position. She looked around for Hiei, and when she noticed he was gone, she made her way up some of the metal beams, finding him in his usual place staring out at the city from where a window would have been placed.

"Master Hiei." Loki said, a soft tone so he wasn't startled, which probably wouldn't have happened even if she had screamed it. Hiei's eyes did not leave the city around them, but a grunt came from him and Loki knew he was listening.

"Are you worried about Yukina?" Loki questioned, taking the time to look out over the city as well. Hiei closed his eyes, and Loki knew he wasn't going to answer her. Instead he seemed prepared to jump to one of the nearby rooftops.

"Do what you want today, I have to do something." Was all he said as he made his way out. Loki knew however that she had to be back on time, according to Hiei's standards. So she turned to leave as well, also prepared to return when Hiei wanted her back.

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

It was lunchtime again, and it seemed like we had just come back from saving Yukina yesterday, even though it was about a week's time since then. My leg had healed up nicely, though it still hurt to walk a bit. As predicted, my father yelled at me for disappearing on him the moment I had gotten back, grounding me the entire school week.

The maids had made me a quick box lunch, and I sat out on the patio, eating while thinking about my test later in the day. I was sure to fail since I didn't even know what we were supposed to be studying, but the excuse of me fighting to save an apparition certainly wasn't going to cut it. A hand slamming on my table awoke me from my thoughts and I looked up to see Loki, who promptly smiled at me and sat down in the chair across from me.

"Oh, hey Loki, what brings you here?" I asked through a mouth full of rice ball, remembering my manners and pausing to swallow. Loki shrugged, looking up at the sky through the see-through screen.

"Just here I suppose. Hiei gave me a chance to go out on my own since he had to do something today…" Her orange eyes were a bit distant as she said this, and I kind of nodded, not sure what I was supposed to say to that.

"Hey…Loki, can you answer me something." She turned to look at me, the lace at her neck ruffling. I cleared my throat after finishing the rice ball and relaxed.

"Why do you serve Hiei anyway? It doesn't seem like he appreciates it all that much." Loki shook her head, leaning back in the chair and closing her eyes.

"I don't need his appreciation. I met Hiei when I was young, and from the start, I knew that he was someone I was destined to serve. My breed of demon, is lower in the fire demon chain than my master's is. So, we willingly serve someone higher in the chain when we find them." She paused and accepted when I offered her a rice ball, chewing thoughtfully on it as she seemed to look for something to tell me next.

"Hiei didn't accept my help willingly at first though. He believed that he didn't need a servant, and he preferred to travel alone. My cheery disposition at the time probably didn't help, but after a while of following him around, he just gave up, rather than go ahead and kill me, he let me follow after him." She chuckled as it seemed a fond memory, whatever that might have been in her mind, came to her.

"I was so happy the first time he asked me to do something for him. It was pretty fulfilling… like an instinct I needed to perform in order to function. That is what our breed is meant to do, serve those higher than ourselves." I frowned a bit, taking another bite of something else on my lunch array and pointing my chop sticks at her.

"But do you really want to spend the rest of your life as a servant? I mean, your breed may want to, but do you?" She nodded, sighing as if she was getting tired of explaining.

"I do, actually. It isn't like I have much time left anyway. So I want to spend the rest of my time fulfilling my master's wishes." My eyes widened as I tried to grasp what she had just said.

"Not much time?"

"Yes, I was born with an illness that was set to take my life from the start. Recently, I've found that signs have been coming up more frequently, and it may be a year or less before I'm dead. That's why I need to do anything Hiei says now, while I have time too." I blinked, trying to absorb all of this. Loki was…going to die, and she was accepting it? She was even so calm while she said it all, like none of this even phased her. I looked down at my lap, messing with my thumbs and trying not to seem sad, but I couldn't help the heavy breathes I took.

"You shouldn't worry about it. Hiei knows I'm going to die too, it wasn't like I hadn't warned him." I shook my head, trying to set my breathing at a normal pace again.

"Loki." My tone was serious, and it made her look at me, it made her see that I was pained; knowing now that my friend was going to die.

"What?" she questioned after I hadn't said anything for a while. I looked straight back up, and breathed.

"Do you love Hiei?" She looked a little taken back by my question, but instead of snapping at me, she looked me straight in my eyes.

"A servant cannot love her master. Love between the two would only be a hassle." I saw the dark orange flecks in her eyes change to a lighter hue, like she was hiding actual feelings, but rather than let me delve further into the problem, she stood up.

"I should be going back, I've been out for a few hours. And by the way, don't tell that stupid little vixen about any of what I have told you." I nodded and she opened the door and exited the area, disappearing into the trees. I watched her go and then looked at the time. I had to be getting back to school.

When I finally returned to my afternoon class in Mr. Iwamouto's room, I blocked his lecture from my mind as I thought of Loki's eyes when she had told me she didn't love Hiei. The look they held highly betrayed her words, and I never saw so much regret in one look…but how could someone fall in love with someone as closed-hearted and stubborn as Hiei? The news that Loki had relayed to me about her death within a year's time kind of depressed me, so rather than go to my last few periods of the day, I went against my own policies and joined Yusuke on the roof, and together we sat around and talked.

"Hey, Yusuke?"

"What?"

"Do you think it would be a pain in the ass to love someone, and feel like you couldn't do anything about it, because soon it would be too late?" I asked suddenly, reminded of Loki in something he had mentioned.

"Where the hell did that come from?"

"Just wondering."

"Well you're asking the wrong person Mimiko, I wouldn't know." I let a 'hm' come out as my answer and sat back. Of course Yusuke wouldn't know…but neither would I.


	28. Toguro Returns! The Dark Tournament!

**Chapter 28: The real Enemy Returns: Toguro and the Dark Tournament!**

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**Date: July 17th, 2002**

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**Mimiko's P.O.V**

Another weekend, and I was back to hanging out with Shin and Kouhei, two people who I hadn't seen for days once the team and I had left to go rescue had a date with Keiko today, so I let him busy himself with that for the day, and when I called Shea, she told me she was doing weekend volunteer work for the hospital, and Shin and Kouhei were more than willing to hang out with me. I wasn't sure what Kurama and Kuwabara were doing with their day, but I was sure they were keeping themselves busy.

In a unanimous decision, me and my two companions had decided we wanted to visit the zoo, so we had traveled to the middle of town, since the zoo in that area was always exciting, since the animals on display weren't all fat and lazy. Shin pointed out that the monkey's looked extra lively today, and Kouhei and I each agreed with a laugh.

"You know, your dad was so worried about you when you vanished for those four days. He thought you had been abducted or something, and he was even ready to alert the media if he had too!" Kouhei warned me as we walked through an area of extra warm sunlight, grabbing onto my arm and making unneeded motions with her free arm. I shrugged and glanced at the exhibit for the foxes. A red fox was resting lazily in the cage, relaxing against the bars, and it made me smile as I remembered my team mates.

"Well, my dad is paranoid." I answered matter-o-factly. Shin tapped me lightly over the head, coming up on my other side.

"He's only worried about you, I mean, you didn't even tell him where you were going." I rolled my eyes, rubbing at the spot on my head where he had tapped it.

"Well, it isn't like I can tell him I'm a spirit detective and had to suddenly go off on a new case." I muttered in response, and I noticed Kouhei's expression flickered to worry.

"I really hope you're being careful with that business." She warned me sternly. I nodded, assuring her I was. I suddenly felt my feet leave the ground as I slipped on only Enma knew what, falling backwards. I expected to fall to the floor, but instead, I never hit the ground. Instead, someone pushed me upright and I turned to see Shin had come to stand behind me, catching me and saving me from an injury.

"You're really clumsy you know." He muttered as he placed his hands in his pocket. Kouhei giggled, agreeing, and I shrugged.

"I guess."

"Come on Shin, let's go get some Ice Cream!" Kouhei urged. He agreed and asked me what I wanted. Responding with my usual want of strawberry ice cream, I sat on a bench and waited for them to return. I found myself wondering something that I hadn't thought about for a while. Who did I like? I definetly was blushing when Shin caught me, but that had faded before it was caught. Shin was always nice to me, since we were kids, and he even brought me back to the living world before I was like sixty, which is what would have happened if he didn't. Then again, as I thought more about it, it would have been weird to date him. I mean, it's one thing to hang around just as best friends, but the more and more I thought of it, I realized I couldn't think of doing that, at least not now.

Then, there was Yusuke. I knew I was developing feelings for him, but I didn't want to act on them. How could I? He had Keiko. At first, we had gotten off on the wrong foot, I had come off to her as a man stealer, always hanging around Yusuke, and so suddenly, and to even try and tear him away from her was proving that right. I was a bit jealous sometimes when she said or did certain things, but I had no right to be. Now, I couldn't possibly imagine doing anything bad to Keiko, like trying to take her boyfriend, not that he'd turn to me willingly anyway. Laughing a bit at how stupid I was being, I dismissed the thought of me and Yusuke ever happening and smiled to myself. At least we had a good friendship.

Then…then there was Yuudai. He had only shown up a while ago, and he had done a lot for me since he did. Saving me from zombie people, then helping me and Shea through the maze at Turukane's stronghold, I couldn't help but think he was cool. He seemed to always be around when I needed him but… that was exactly it. I barely knew a thing about him. He comes around and then disappears just as fast, I never really had a chance to stop and ask him where he comes from, what he does with his time, and why he knows so much about demons and things like that, even if he looked like a full human, and his aura felt the same. I couldn't like him though…it was just, too little of a time that I had known him for. Shaking my head, I decided maybe waiting until college to think about a boyfriend was a good idea, maybe even high school if I could deal with all that drama.

"Hey, earth to Mimi!" I gasped as Kouhei called me and handed me the ice cream she had been holding, sitting herself beside me and watching as Shin sat to my other side. We ate in silence for a while, before Kouhei spoke up again.

"You looked pretty deep in thought when we came back, care to share?" she questioned as she licked the chocolate cone again.

"I'll tell you later." I responded, looking at Shin who shot me a weird glance before closing his eyes. A jolt that I felt suddenly made me stand up, and I frowned a bit. Something was going on. Quickly excusing myself, I ran off with the ice cream come in my hand, ditching it as soon as I found the time. I followed the feeling for a while, letting my legs lead me, and forced myself to stop when I saw Riki sitting on a banister. The spirit animal cooed and opened her wings, lifting herself from the banister. I took off after her after taking a second of catching my breath.

"Riki, wait up!" I called after her, running as fast as I could down the stairwell that led to an old parking garage under an old building which no one used anymore. We were somewhere in midtown, as far as I could tell. I skidded to a stop and followed Riki as she entered the garage, and froze when I spotted Yusuke. He wasn't alone. Standing in front of him was Toguro, the demon we thought had been defeated at the strong hold, seeing him alive was just a kick in the ass.

"Yusu..ke.." I called, barley able to speak out of fear. Both my friend and my foe turned to look at me, and Toguro smirked.

"Well Yusuke, seems one of the lady detectives has arrived just in time." His voice was deep, and it kind of paralyzed me, preventing my feet from working with my mind, because I couldn't move. Yusuke glanced back at me, and now I noticed he was sweating. So Toguro scared him just as much as he scared me.

"W-What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice shaking as I finally moved forward and gripped Yusuke's shirt, letting him know I was there.

"Actually, I had also come here to give you this." He flicked something at me and I caught it, although not without a fumble. It was a letter dressed in a pretty envelope, but I didn't want to think too much about the design.

"I wouldn't read that until after I've left." Toguro warned me, making me stiffen up again, much like a dead bug. Yusuke's breathing was uneven, and his fists were clenched, but he didn't dare move to fight guy was very muscular, and you could see it from under the dark shirt he wore, which was making me very nervous.

"Yusuke, I trust I'll see you and your little friends at the Dark Tournament, won't I? After all, last time I fought you I was forced to throw the match, but this time it will be fair." Every word he said just didn't register with me. Dark Tournament, the hell was that? Yusuke shook his head, and I felt his tension.

"Came to invite me in person, huh?" Toguro smirked, removing his trench coat.

"Indeed I did." When he removed his shirt as well, my body went into an offensive stance on its own, and I could feel Riki's watchful eyes on us from a ways away.

"I suppose I could show you thirty percent, and that would be enough." I didn't want to know what he was about to do, but I was going to find out either way. He powered up and I had to back up as power surged around me. If I felt it standing this far away from him, we had problems. He smashed his fist into one of the support beams, jumping around faster than I could blink, and doing the same to the other beams. I was frozen to my place once again, shivering. I saw the roof start to cave in and felt myself being knocked over, someone hovering above me as debris crashed down next to my ears. I shivered again as things finally started to stop, and it had seemed the entire building came down as I felt the outside air again, stronger than I had before.

"Consider that your warning." I heard Toguro say before his footsteps faded away.I felt whoever was above me, who was probably Yusuke, trembling heavily.

"Stupid Yusuke…" he muttered to himself, and I could see the look on his face was one of terror as I opened my eyes. I pushed his chest gently and he sat up, allowing me to sit up myself. I was a little scuffed up from the falling building, but I was for the most part okay. I looked down at the Letter and frowned, opening it gently with my fingertip. Putting it up so I could read it, I shook at the words.

_' Dear Challenger,_

_You are invited to join us in an all out fight for your life in this years dark tournament. This honor has been bestowed upon you by the tournament owner himself, so consider it an honor. You will be in the all girls division, though your wins or losses will still hinder or benefit your entire team, males and females. If you do not show up, our committee will be sure that you and those you love will perish. Among you, there must be Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke,Kuwabara, Shea, and yourself. Fail and you will suffer the consequences._

_Sincerely,_

_The Dark Tournament Committee.'_

I took the envelope which read 'You are Invited', and crumpled it up, throwing it to the ground. Turning to look around me, I noticed our friends and team members lined up. Kuwabara was on the railing just above the area, in shock, while Hiei, Kurama, Loki, and Shea, stood on the top of one of the building, and I noticed Shea was holding the same envelope I had. She was staring right at me, either that, or my letter. I knew all of us, though some wouldn't admit it as easily as others, were all wondering one thing.

What the hell were we supposed to do now?


	29. Training with Genkai, the beasts appear!

**Chapter 29: Genkai's Training, the Beasts live within her!**

* * *

**Date: July 15th, 2002**

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

"So do we really have to go train under some old hag for two months?" Shea asked as we hiked up the hill where Yusuke had told us Genkai's temple would rest at the top. I nodded, just behind Yusuke but comfortably ahead of Shea.

"You heard what Botan said, she can help Yusuke and she can help me. Koenma told me to bring you along because your demon energy is closer to the kind Yusuke and I emit." I answered with a slight tone of annoyance to my voice. Shea frowned a bit, and I could tell she, much like the grumpy Yusuke in front of me, wasn't looking forward to this. Even so, Yusuke had opted to come here, because he knew in the state he was in, he would never be able to defeat Toguro.

"We're here." Yusuke commented as we reached the final step, and I took a moment to look over the beautiful temple as it seemed to extend a long way from end to end. Shea didn't seem to impressed, and she was annoying me quite a bit, her disinterest was killing me.

"You behaved nicely when Kurama was with us, do the same here." I said slyly, slipping passed her and hearing her mutter curses at me as I went. We followed Yusuke inside, only to be met with Genkai herself. She was old, and her sandy gray hair flowed down half of her short body, and her face was a bit…intimidating, nonetheless, Yusuke seemed bold standing up to her.

"What do you want dimwit?" she asked as Yusuke suddenly bowed. I did the same and was followed by Shea.

"I've come to ask you to train me." Genkai looked away, clearly irritated.

"And why would I do that?"

"Please Master Genkai!" I cut in suddenly, feeling worried for our futures all of a sudden. "Not just him…Shea and I could really use it…We'll be serious and do everything you tell us too." Genkai stared at us for the longest time, as if just evaluating us. She then turned to look at Shea.

"Are you a demon?"

"Yes." She closed her eyes, her wrinkled hands behind her back.

"You do realize that demon traitors will not be treated kindly at this tournament, don't you?" Shea nodded and I kind of stared. How did she know that's why we wanted to train? Maybe Koenma had told her…

"Fine, I'll train you, but I'm warning you bunch of girls…" She turned to Yusuke "that includes you, that my training will not be easy." We gave her another nod of understanding and she began to walk away.

"Good, now get some rest. You'll need it, we start early tomorrow." Something about that scared me, but Yusuke led Shea and I to a sleeping place and set up a sleeping bag for himself. It was late at night when we got there, so we had to get to sleep as soon as we could. I closed the doors that separated our side of the room from Yusuke's changed, and slipped into my sleeping bag, falling asleep easily and starting to dream of this tough training we'd receive.

"Wake up!" Was the harsh cry I heard the next morning…at least I thought it was the next morning, it was still dark as I opened the door that led outside. Shea followed me groggily and Yusuke was the last one out. I had told my father I was in a program for the Wonder scouts or whatever they were called and would be back in two months. He hadn't been so quick to agree, but I assured him it was credit for school and he let me go. Wonder scouts would cry if they had to wake up this early, I was sure.

"Come, Dimwit." Genkai said, addressing Yusuke. Yusuke didn't say anything, but dragged himself after her, a little more composed then Shea and I were at the minute.

"I wish I was home." Shea said after a while of the two being gone, and I yawned.

"Maybe I do too, but we need this training." I assured her, looking up at the dark sky. I kind of missed being a normal girl, but, there was nothing to be done about that now. Genkai returned after a while, motioning for us to follow her. I followed first, followed by Shea who was more hesitant. We came to an area where a small overhang overlooked a field embedded with spikes, and I could already tell I wouldn't like this as I saw the other side up ahead.

"The two of you will spend the day trying to get over these spikes while I deal with Yusuke." She took something from a pocket on her clothes and clipped it to Shea's ear.

"Now you can't fly."

"That's not-"

"Fair? Well you'll soon learn that life isn't fair and I am positive you will face something that will stop you from flying eventually!" with that she walked away, and when she was out of eyesight Shea crossed her arms.

"Bitch." I shrugged and turned to face the field of thorns.

"So, how do we get across this?" Shea shrugged as she looked down at the giant, pointy spikes that threatened to kill us if we stepped wrong.

"I don't know." I felt an aching in my body and my hand moved on its own accord. I brought my foot up and placed my hand on the sole of my shoe. A Tomo-barrier began to form, but it burst mid-formation and covered my shoes in a green energy. I stepped on a spike and realized it didn't hurt, I began spike-hopping. Shea watched me in amazement as I continued to hop across, and suddenly, the barrier broke. I was about to fall, but placing my hands in front of me, I formed a bigger Tomo-barrier that launched me into the air, and made it the rest of the way across that way.

"I get it!" I called to Shea as I hit the grass on the other side. "It's to work on our defenses!" Shea tried next. She managed to jump really high, and I panicked when I realized she had jumped without being able to do what I was able to do. Her body was suddenly glowing a bright purple, and the thing Genkai had placed on her ear exploded, her wings spread out and she saved herself from falling. She landed next to me and I high-fived her.

"How did you do that?" I asked curiously, she shrugged.

"My body reacted on its own. The item that had exploded earlier suddenly rematerialized on Shea's ear, and she frowned.

"We have to keep doing this all day, don't we?" I nodded and answered with a yes. Sadly, that was Genkai's plan for the two of us. We were sore by the end of the day when Genkai had come to get us. Yusuke was following behind her, looking as exhausted as us. Genkai smirked and reached to Shea's ear, removing the item that locked her flight ability.

"Well you're both alive, but you have scratches so I can tell you crossed." It was true, the two of us had slipped here and there, and it cost us each time, our bodies gaining a new scratch whenever we failed. Shea and I slept well that night.

The next few weeks were difficult as the first day, a new challenge was issued to Shea and I each day, and Yusuke was taken off to train alone with Genkai. Though we realized we were getting stronger, able to handle more damage and keep up our defenses as well as our offense. Though it was the one day Shea and I were sparring together when she suddenly fell to the ground, and the dark forest around us seemed still. Genkai had been there, leaving Yusuke who knows where to watch out progress. She knelt down beside Shea.

"Get a hold of yourself your opponent hasn't even done anything yet!" Though, Shea was in so much pains he couldn't even reply, and normally she would give Genkai a sassy comment, which, after a few weeks Genkai came to like about her, since she stood up for herself unlike me, but she liked my respect for her. The Dark Forest seemed to be getting even darker, and Riki, who had been with us, cried out as if to alert me to danger, but instead it was a presence, and a blinding light obscured my vision for as minute.

"Mimiko, look." I looked up and standing in front of us were two fox creatures. The first was a clean, eggshell white, angel wings covered with the same fur sprouting from its shoulder blades. Or maybe they were eagle wings, I wasn't sure. It's muzzle was clean and its yellow eyes relaxed me, the crescent moon on its head a deep black. The light it gave off was pristine.

The figure beside it was much harder to look at. It was a jet black fox with the same wings as the white one, just tainted black. Its muzzle was blood stained, and its red eyes bore into my soul. The half moon on its head was white, and its light was dirty and grey. Though it also had shackles on all four of its legs. Neither did much but stare at us, before disappearing. As they did, I felt Shea go limp and she had passed out. Genkai ordered me to help her and we carried Shea back the temple, letting her rest in her sleeping bag. I placed a cold compress on her head and frowned.

"Genkai…what was that?" Genkai shook her head as she looked down at Shea.

"The White Angel and the Black Angel. Long ago, the two roamed the realm of the demon world. One , the White Angel,served the Prince, who was soon to become the king of his kingdom, as soon as his wife gave birth to a mixed breed child. The other, the Black Angel, caused havoc and destruction in the surrounding areas of their world. In order to save his kingdom, the Prince, with his child finally born, sealed the Black Angel away in his child's body. In order to keep him from running the child's heart, he sealed three more creatures into the child's heart. An eagle, a fox, and the White angel, who was a mix of the two, just like the Black angel. It was never stated if the child was a male or a female, but-" I knew what she was going to say. Shea was probably the child in the story.

"Was this story from demon world?"

"Yes." Now I was sure. Genkai cleared her throat and I looked up at her again.

"Shea will have great trails ahead of her. I want you to look after her closely, try and make sure she doesn't get herself killed or otherwise." She left the room, leaving me to think about what she said. What would happen if the White Angel and the Black Angel were to break out of her heart? What then?

I got up and made sure the compress was firmly on her head before leaving and shutting the door behind me. Later that night, Yusuke returned from his training, and he sat at Genkai's table with me, but the two of us barley ate anything.

"Yusuke." I said quietly, looking down at my meal, which was going cold.

"What is it?" He asked, picking his up and finally starting to eat.

"I'm worried about Shea, Genkai told me she's got some trails ahead and that I had to protect her…" Yusuke gave a shrug, putting his bowl of rice down.

"Don't worry about it, we'll protect her, I promise." He vowed as he went back to his rice.

"What if we can't?"

"I'm glad to see you're so optimistic." I looked down again, picking up my own bowl of rice.

"I'm sorry I'm just-"

"Relax. I'm sure we'll be fine."

"….If you say so."


	30. Welcome to Hanging Neck Island!

**Chapter 30: Running into an Unexpected Obstacle, Hanging Neck Island!**

* * *

**Date: September 20th, 2002**

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

Two months passed by a lot sooner than we thought and the date that we would leave to face the Dark Tournament was growing closer. I sat up in my room, reading a book while Niko hopped around my bed spread. I felt bad that I had not spent enough time with the poor thing, but I couldn't really help it anyway. There was a knock at my door before my father appeared, holding a cup of tea. He offered it to me and I took it from him politely, watching as he sat at the edge of my bed.

"Mimiko." His tone was serious, and it always made me scared. Was he getting fed up with me and my vanishing acts?

"Yes dad?" I asked, sipping the tea casually. He seemed to want to get something off his chest, and I was more than willing to listen as long as it didn't hinder me.

"I'm thinking of moving. I've talked to your mother and we both think it will benefit you to move away from this place, maybe to Mushiyori City or something." I kind of gave him this blank expression, like thought this new idea of his was the worst thing ever. I couldn't just move away. Swallowing a bit more of the tea, I frowned.

"Why?"

"Mimiko, ever since you were kidnapped, you have been vanishing without telling me, your overall school attendance has gotten worse, and you've been skipping classes. That and you look so miserable sometimes I don't know what to do to help you." I shook my head, giving the tea cup back to him and relaxing against my pillows.

"Moving away isn't going to make any of that better." I assured him, picking up Niko when he came to me. My father sighed and glanced out my window.

"Maybe not, but…Mimiko, I don't know..I'll tell you if we're moving for sure in about a month." He walked back over to my door and said goodnight to me before leaving. Putting Niko back down, I pulled my knees to my chest. I wasn't going to be around in about a month, and I knew that. This tournament would take a long time, and I didn't know if I would come back alive. Rolling onto my side, I had to wonder how I would be able to leave without breaking his heart. Once Niko was back in his cage, I settled down and went to bed, prepared to wake up around four in the morning.

* * *

**Date: September 21****st****, 2002**

* * *

A slight tapping at my window woke me up that morning, and I rubbed my eyes of sleep, seeing Shea had made it to my window on Yuki's back, and I was thankful no one was awake to see her. Quickly, I pulled my pre-packed suitcase from under my bed and messed up my room to make it look like I had been in a haste to run away. I knew it'd kill my father to think I'd just leave him, but it was the only thing I could do. I threw the hurriedly packed suitcase, which was more like a bag, over my shoulder and unlatched my window. Shea helped me onto Yuki's back.

"Come on then, people don't sleep all day." I gave a nod and she urged Yuki to go. The Hell Creature gave a lurch and I was surprised at how fast he could move. Shea was heading in a direction I had never gone before, and when I asked her about it, she told me that Hiei was telling her where to go since he was already there and he was the only telepath among us.

"Down there." Shea directed, holding onto Yuki's fur tighter as he headed downwards, landing at a dock that seemed to be shrouded in the shadows. Yuki took soft steps forwards, watching the dock as if it would come alive and eat all three of us. On the other side of those shadows? Hundreds of ugly demons, worse than the ones I had seen on recent cases. Shea looked around for our team members, and it didn't take long for us to spot them, since they seemed to be the only ones with no horns or green skin. When we walked over to them, Kuwabara greeted us.

"I haven't seen you guys for like two months! Did you get any stronger at Genkai's place?" He questioned, seemingly trying to figure out if our energy had gotten stronger. I gave him a shrug.

"Remains to be seen, huh?" Shea shrugged and then I noticed her and Kurama exchange glances and look away from each other quickly. Had something happened in the two days we were back I didn't know about? They didn't even want to look at eachother.

"What's up with them?" I asked as I came to stand by Hiei. Hiei shrugged and gave me a 'hmph'.

"How am I supposed to know? Kurama's been acting strangely since yesterday morning and I can care even less about how the Princess is acting." Sighing, I told him it was a pleasure to see him too and moved to talk to Loki. It wasn't long after that that the captain of the ship came out, his short and pudgy look kind of annoying me a bit. Maybe it was more of the fact he seemed grungy.

"Well, Well, we have a large bunch here now don't we? Please, board the ship in an orderly fashion and if ye' have any quarrels settle them on the ship." Kuwabara interjected, trying to stall.

"Wait, one of our guys still hasn't showed up yet!" The captain looked our way and Shea hid behind me. I had to wonder if he scared her, and also why she had chosen to hide behind me.

"Well then, we'll just have to deal with him later, won't we?"

"You don't need too, I'm right here." We turned when Yusuke's voice suddenly cut through our ears. He was standing there with a much shorter guy, a mask wrapped around his face. Though his clothing looked a lot like something Genkai wore. The captain smirked and then cleared his throat.

"Fine then, those of you in the female division, come and board the ship first." Shea and I followed after him, along with a few other creatures that may have well been genderless, but I guess they were girls like we boarded, the Captain seemed to be looking at a list, and stopped Shea. She was forced to comply as he clipped the same item Genkai had used in her training on her ears, to constrict her from flying, and that was when the first warning flag in my head went off. Something wasn't right. After all of us had boarded, we went to go find the boys. Yusuke was sleeping by the time we had met up with them, and Kuwabara pointed to Shea's ears.

"New fashion statement?" A bitter glare from Shea told him she wasn't in the mood as she went to sit against the rail next to Yusuke. As the boat pushed off, I leaned back against one of the rails, next to Kurama, and cleared my throat.

"Kurama?" I asked, glancing up at him. He let his gaze meet mine and I continued.

"Why do you and Shea seem so upset with eachother?" I questioned as he shifted his position so he was more comfortable.

"She and I got into an argument, that's all." He responded coolly, seeming pretty unaffected. I decided not to go deeper by asking why, and hoped they'd get over it soon. It was a while before the announcement horn chimed above the ship, with four simple words. "This is your test." Suddenly there were multiple explosions as I felt myself go flying, met with the cold impact of the sea water. Fighting my way to the surface, I rubbed my eyes and struggled to keep myself up in the water that was chilling my bones. Demons were everywhere in the water, and I couldn't even see my friends among them. Things got worse as I watched what looked like a mutated angler fish come up from the water and devour one of the demons in a single swoop. Now I realized what our test was as more of the mutated creatures came up from the water and took many demons whole.

"Shea! Loki! Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, anyone!" I called through all of the screaming. Suddenly I felt something push against me and I ducked underwater, keeping my eyes open only to watch the light on the fish's head disappear. I had nearly missed being eaten. I felt something grab my wrist and pull me upward, gasping as I reached the surface as the precious air filled my lungs again.I looked up to see Kurama had grabbed me, and thrown me onto his back. I held onto his neck as he used his rose whip to chop one of the fish in half as it came at us. He then began moving, and I could feel him shiver, letting me know I wasn't the only one who was cold. I hoped the others were okay as I formed a Tomo-barrier, trying to defend Kurama a little bit as he fought his way through countless mutated angler fish. He fought until we found land, which was maybe in a total of two hours. Still no sign of our friends.

"Kurama, over there!"I motioned to a patch of land that was part of a larger island, which from the top of it, jetted out a large rock that looked a lot like those little posts you use when you play hangman. Kurama swam over to it, and I let go once I could touch land. Both of us collapsed onto the sand, panting and shivering. How we survived the freezing conditions, we wouldn't know.

"Hey guys! A little help!" I was relieved when I heard Kuwabara calling to us, and got up shakily, pulling him from the water with Yusuke on his back, still miraculously asleep. The masked fighter, as we had decided to call him, exited the water directly behind him.

From the air, Shea landed on Yuki's back, both extremely soaked and covered in bite marks. Following her, were Hiei and Loki. The things that the captain had clipped to Shea's ears were gone, but blood replaced them. Loki coughed, trying to get water out of her lungs and looking up at the giant stone in the center of the island.

"So, I guess you guys passed huh?" she questioned. Kurama nodded.

"Yes. Welcome to Hanging Neck Island, I suppose." It was true, we were all cold and miserable, but we seemed to be the only team to make it passed the Mutated Angler infested water.

"Come on guys, we should go find that hotel we were promised." I said as I tried to stand. We need to dry off, and then we needed serious rest.


	31. Shea VS Edel! The Tournament Begins!

**Chapter 31: Tournament Start! Shea VS. Edel!**

* * *

**Date: September 20th, 2002**

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

It had taken a lot of walking to get to where we were going, but we finally reached Hotel Akanukao at around noon. The trip had tired most of us out, and I looked back at Kurama, his eyes reflecting his fatigue as we carried on. Shea stayed at Yusuke's other side though, which surprised me. Maybe she was still upset about what they were fighting about before, whatever that was. When we entered, we were greeted by a few strange looks, but someone that was staff came and took us up to our room.

It was conjoined, so Shea, Loki and I, could stay on one side, while the rest of the team stayed on the other side, which was handy since it would give us some peace at night. We all sat down on the couches provided in the center room, except for Loki, who sat on the windowsill, much more contented there. Some guy came in shortly after we were settled and talking and set some tea on the table for us. Shea said she wasn't really thirsty, Yusuke was still asleep, and Kuwabara was yammering on about the tea being poisoned or something. Rolling my eyes, I drank the tea down to the bottom while I listened to Shea when she mentioned the fights tomorrow My gaze shifted, and I noticed something.

"Kurama dozed off." I said, giving another sure glance at the now sleeping red head. Hiei closed his eyes.

"He used much of his energy carrying you around on his back in that water for so long. He won't get it back until mid-day tomorrow." I gave Hiei a slight nod to at least let him know I hadn't disregarded his words completely. Turning to look at Kurama one more time, I sat up and called to Loki and Shea.

"Come on you two, we'll go find something to eat downstairs." Shea got up to follow me easily, though Loki glanced over at Hiei, who looked back at her coldly.

"Hiei, we're just going to get food." I muttered flatly, to which Hiei snorted.

"Whatever. Just don't get yourselves killed. Not that I care personally, but we apparently need you in the fights tomorrow." Shea rolled her eyes as she opened the hotel room door.

"Well, screw you too Hiei." I saw Hiei glaring out of the corner of my eye as I followed Loki and shut the door behind me. We ended up down in the café as planned, and we sat somewhere as far away from the regular hotel goers as we possibly could. Shea, Loki, and I all ordered simple soups and I began speaking to Loki about what we were going to have to go through tomorrow. We were apparently facing a team called Team Rokkuyukai, and it wasn't supposed to be easy.

"Well, you'll be facing one of their girls, but I think you'll be fine if you remember Genkai's training." Loki told me, a bit of confidence ebbing in and out of her voice. Shea, I noticed was being really quiet, but all her muscles were taught, and she was staring straight ahead. Loki noticed this too.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked her bluntly, and Shea narrowed her eyes, but not at Loki like she normally would. I traced her gaze only to find that someone was walking towards us. She was a beautiful young woman, long sandy colored hair and bright red eyes. Though what intrigued me more was that she had finned ears…if they could even be called ears, I had just assumed so because they were on either side of her head and nothing else that looked like ears was present on her. She also wore a scallop shell necklace. She stopped right in front of our table, clearing her throat before speaking.

"Good evening, ladies." I would have said something back, but I knew we had to be wary of who we were talking to and where. Loki was the first of us to speak, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"What do you want?" Instead of becoming scared or defensive, the girl let out an airy chuckle, making me wince a bit. She was way to calm, despite the sting in Loki's voice.

"Now, relax, this isn't the battlefield you know, but you see, I must save my energy for tomorrow's fight." My eyes widened as I came to a new realization.

"You're on Team Rokkuyukai?" I asked daringly, to which she nodded briefly.

"Yes, my name is Edel, one of the two female fighters on the team you have just mentioned." I blinked, a bit confused as to why she was being so friendly with us, if we were supposed to beat the crap out of each other tomorrow anyway.

"Excuse me, but did you want something?" I asked suddenly, making her look at me again. A smile played on her lips as she took a long time to respond.

"I would like to know, who is that team member of yours, the one with the red hair." Shea uncrossed her arms, standing up. Edel stepped back, to show her she didn't want to fight just yet.

"You don't need to know his name." She muttered crossly, staying where she was, even if she seemed ready to attack Edel.

"Well, you know mine don't you?" I nodded and placed a hand on Shea's shoulder.

"Yes well, it was your choice to tell us. What she means is we don't want to tell you because he might not want us to, but what problems do you have with him?" Edel laughed again and I felt Shea's shoulder tense under my hand.

"A problem with him? Oh no, quite the opposite actually. I saw the team of you enter the Hotel earlier, and I believe I have fallen in love at first sight." I may have been able to keep Shea from moving, but not from talking.

"Do you know how many girl's fall in love with him per month? You wouldn't stand a chance." Edel remained calm, even if Shea's temper was flaring. I felt kind of bad for her, since she seemed so bothered by what Edel said. Edel raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by Shea's reaction.

"Well, I'm sure he'll realize I'm right for him after the fights tomorrow, well, if he's still alive by then. Though you know, you mention all these ladies that fall in love with him, and you seem to be one of them yourself. Too bad someone as amazingly handsome as that, wouldn't waste his time on a little wallflower like yourself." Before Shea had time to take her on like I was sure she wanted to, Edel bid us a goodbye and turned around, disappearing into the crowd again. Loki crossed one of her legs over the other as Shea remained standing.

"What a snob. You know though, seems like Kurama is too pretty for his own good, I mean now he has someone from the opposing team falling for him." Before Loki could say anything else, Shea pushed her chair back further and began walking away.

"Shut up." I looked back to Loki, who had a more or less indifferent look on her face as she watched Shea stop on the almost empty balcony outside. I pushed back my own chair and stood up.

"I'll be back." Loki nodded and I could feel her eyes follow me as I walked out after Shea. She seemed to notice I was there, but she didn't turn around.

"If you don't like him, why is what she told you bothering you so much." She looked at me now as I stopped to stand next to her, watching the moon, which was now bright against the darkened sky. Shea averted her gaze to the wall.

"I don't like him, not like that." She then turned to meet my gaze, which was now on her.

"At least that's what I used to tell myself. Now I don't know how I feel…" I gave her a nod of understanding and sighed.

"What did you and Kurama fight about before we left home?" I questioned, catching her off guard. She didn't seem to know that I had noticed how they were acting, or that I had talked to Kurama earlier. Instead of acting stubborn and not telling me.

"He was treating me like that again, just like his little sister or something. I don't want to be treated like that anymore. I don't need to be protected." She said simply, closing her eyes. I suddenly recalled something she had said to me once before.

_"I'm only a kid to him… he said that I was like a younger sibling to him so- That's all I am anyway…"_ I kind of understood how she was feeling now.

"You want to be something more to him, don't you?" She shook her head, and it was only then I realized a small streak of tears had been running down the side of her face where her good eye was, while the other eye just shone dully.

"I don't want to be something more...but I just…want to be something else. I don't want to be his burden, someone he feels he always has to look after because I'll get myself into trouble if he isn't there! Do you understand, Mimiko? I just want to stop getting in his way." I reached out and cleaned the side of her face that held her tears. It was rare for her to do this in front of anyone but Kurama or by herself, so what Edel had said to her got the best of her for sure.

"I'm sure you aren't his burden. He protects you because he cares about you, not because he feels he has too. I mean, I guess I can't speak for him but… I think it's pretty obvious." Shea didn't answer me, and after a while, I suggested that we head back to the hotel room before we ran into anymore trouble.

It took about fifteen minutes because it was so crowded in the lobby (not to mention everyone seemed to want to question the underdog team) for us to get back to the room, but when we did, there was no one in the main room, telling us that the boys must have gone to bed sometime earlier. It was pretty chilly because the windows in the hotel room didn't have much insulation. I took the time to get ready to go to sleep, Loki and Shea walking around quietly to do the same, and when we were done, Loki opened the door to our room, going inside and holding the door open for me. I was about to follow when I noticed Shea has stopped in the middle of the center room, looking at the door that I guess she felt Kurama had retired behind before.

"Shea?"

"I wish I could apologize to him." I smiled and put an arm around her shoulders, guiding her beside me and leading her into our room after Loki.

"It'll be fine, you can do that tomorrow." Once we were all settled in, I turned in one of the three twin sized beds to stare out the window at the ground. We'd be okay, as long as we all stayed together.

* * *

**Date: September 21****st****, 2002**

* * *

The stadium was crowded on the outside with thousands of various demons and people who had come out to see us fight to the death, and it kind of sickened me. They were all there out of pure blood lust, and to them, this was all just one big game. But then again, even people in our town were like that. As long as nothing was happening to them, it was okay to them.

"Hello and Welcome to the Dark Tournament! I'll be your charming host of this blood-bath, Koto!" As a voice blared over the Microphone, Shea covered her delicate fox ears, trying to block out Koto's high pitched voice. She was walking beside Kurama today, so they had probably been able to get back on good terms with one another before I woke up or something and that satisfied me at least. I listened to Koto explain the history of the tournament and how many teams were here this year. Yuki, who was in his larger form and standing next to Shea, lashed his tail at some demons looking our way as we walked into the arena entrance that would lead us to the field. The two lowly looking demons scampered off, obviously scared of the fox.

"And now, I'll introduce you to this year's underdogs, Team Urameshi!" As we stepped out of the tunnel into the field area, we were greeted by jeers and taunts, about how weak me, Kuwabara, and Yusuke seemed, and at how the other four, Loki included, were called demon traitors and human-lovers. They seemed to ignore it pretty well, though I did notice one of Shea's ears flicker in annoyance a few times. Then, Koto introduced Team Rokkuyukai. There were as many of them as there were of us. Edel standing among them with a, well what I could only guess was a girl hidden by a cloak. A younger looking demon, with outlandish looking clothes and three star stickers or something on his face stood next to them, along with three others who looked more demon like than the others. I looked over at Yusuke, who was still sleeping even after all this time. Genkai must have had been really tough on him, even after Shea and I finished training.

"Team Rokkuyukai and Team Urameshi, please choose your fighters!" Koto called, stepping back to see who would step up. I notice Edel glance at Kurama, and watched as she stepped into the ring, turning at Shea to give her a sly smirk.

"Mimiko, I want to fight her." Shea's sudden statement made me look back. Hiei and Kurama didn't say anything to stop her, so I figured it was alright.

"Are you sure?" Shea nodded, and gently gave Yuki a pat on his head, telling him he could sit this one out as she made her way into the ring to stand opposite of Edel. I stood as close to the ring as I could without getting in the way so I could hear what was going on. Hiei cleared his throat and I turned to look at him.

"Hm. Seems as if she has some kind of qualms with that girl." He pointed out as if it wasn't already obvious. Maybe Loki had told him why, but Loki gave me no indication when I looked over to her. Koto continued by explaining the rules of the Tournament round, which was basically try your best to kill eachother, and if your opponent was dead by the end of it or knocked out in ring for ten seconds, you win. The rule applied for being out of the ring for ten seconds, even if you were conscious. Edel smiled as Koto signaled the start of the match. Both girls in the ring stood at a standstill for a moment, before Edel started speaking.

"Well, I'm glad to see you've come to fight me. And here I was thinking I'd only get to judge your appearance." She had seen the wings from the start, but seemed to have only just spotted Shea's ears and tail, both carrying the traits of a fox.

"And you're a mixed breed? Indeed, that's a misfortune." She started to walk around Shea, and I thought Shea would attack, but she was surprisingly still. Edel continued on her little run, and I saw Kuwabara from the corner of my eye as he came to stand next to me.

"Why do you think Shea's just standing there? I'd be pretty mad if I were her." Kurama cut I before I could answer, explaining.

"She most likely is, but what can she do? Even she knows rushing into battle recklessly won't do anything but get her killed." My attention went back to the two girls, neither of which had attacked.

"It's shameful really. You're not only a mixed breed, but you reek of the human scent too. It must be hard be hard to be a mutt and a traitor, isn't it?" From the stands, the jeering started up again.

"What a disgrace!"

"Die filth!"

"Mixed Breeds don't have a place in this tournament! Especially not as traitors!" Shea lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes. She was shaking, and for a minute, I thought she had broken down, and apparently, so did Edel.

"Aw, poor thing, have I broken your spirit?" Though a mere moment or so after those words left her, soft chuckling turned into full on laughter as Shea looked up again, no sign of misery on her face. As she calmed down, she turned to look at the surprised looking Edel, and gave her a sly smile.

"You know Edel, you're funny. Getting this entire stadium of scumbags to turn words on me. Though, even then, They're only words. Listening to you talk for these past few minutes, I think I've got you down. You sit there and try to get the better of your opponent until they are distracted enough not to move or react when you attack." She crossed her arms and shook her head, directing her attention to the stands.

"By the way, I'd rather be a filthy mixed breed traitor, then a cowardly little E-class or below demon who came out here just for the kicks, thinking they weren't going to get hurt eventually!" More jeers erupted from the crowd, distracting Edel for a moment as she shot forward and delivered a punch to her stomach. Edel staggred back as Shea moved away, catching onto her purple locks of hair just before she could get a safe distance away. Shooting water from her hand, it surpised me when Shea screamed and scrambled away as soon as the water touched her skin. She held onto the spot on her stomach where the water had landed, and I gasped when she removed her hand to reveal that the fabric had been burned off, the skin under it bleeding and a deep red color.

"How the hell did that happen?" Kuwabara exclaimed beside me as we watched Edel when she began laughing.

"Did you really think I'd let you get away with a punch without giving something back? That water I threw at you had some force behind it, not to mention it was scalding hot."

"I noticed." Shea snapped back as she got up, a bit of her blood dripping onto the floor. Koto, who had been watching from the side, spoke more clearly than the other couple of times she had announced and I hadn't been paying attention.

"There it is Folks! It may be small for the moment, but it's our first official blood spill of the tournament! I just love it when a good thing gets going, don't all of you?" I rolled my eyes as she twirled around. What kind of girl was she anyway? The only word that came to my mind was a sadist. Looking back to the fight, I noticed that Shea had gotten close to Edel, and managed to shoot a few shards from her wings, but only a few actually dug into Edel's skin. Edel winced, but it didn't look like she was all to damaged.

"Please Shea, if you're going to fight, at least fight like a big girl." Edel commented as she ripped the shell necklace from her neck. She put some kind of energy in her hand and we watched as it morphed into a bow and arrow. She pulled back the string and let it go, sending one of the arrows right at Shea, who flew upwards to avoid it. Soon, as one arrow materialized after the other, They were playing a game that was resembling whack-a-mole…except there were no holes, and the mallet was an arrow.

"Ouch! It seems like Edel has backed Shea into a corner! What's a girl to do when she's being pelted by arrows?" Koto questioned as she watched from an even safer distance.

"Shea look out!" I heard Kuwabara call from beside me. A small amount of crimson blood spattered onto the ring from above, and Shea fell to the floor, propping herself up with her elbows as she got back up. Now I saw the reason she had fallen. An arrow was buried in her left wing, probably hitting one of the nerves in it that helped her fly. She flapped her wings, trying to get back into the air, but she flinched in pain each time the arrow readjusted itself in the injured wing. Edel smirked.

"Now that you're well grounded, it's about time that I made this battlefield a little harder for you to move through. She hurried, while Shea was figuring out that there was no way to get the arrow out without hurting herself further, to cast a spell. Water started forming on the ground and worked its way up, somehow staying in a cylinder as it rose to the roof of the stadium, stopping and closing up just as it hit the end of the open-roofed structure. Shea didn't look like she was having trouble breathing, but that's when I noticed a bubble around her. Edel's legs began to glow and shaped into a brown colored mermaid's tail, and now it was clear why she had those finned ears. Koto had made her way out of the water, now wet and complaining about it.

"There, now that's better. Let's see you put up a fight now." The bubble around Shea popped, and Suddenly the water rushed into Shea's lungs, and she swam to the best of her ability off to the side, sticking her head out of the cylinder of water to breathe.

"That's a dirty trick." Kuwabara stated, and I gave a nod. Yet, when in the world did they say this tournament was supposed to be fair to us, the Underdogs? Once Shea had finished taking a breath, she ducked back into the pocket of water, and was met with an arrow that lodged itself into her right wing. Shea held her breath, not daring to try and scream, but I saw the pain in her face. Edel smiled devilishly.

"This is fine. I'll just kill you this way. It's easy, and good practice. Don't worry, I'll take care of him for you." Shea shook her head, letting her wings glow and wincing as she shot out a single shard. Edel dodged it easily as it sunk to the floor, losing its rainbow sheen as it hit the bottom.

"How pathetic." Edel muttered half to herself as she stared at Shea. Shea went back out to the side to breathe again, and was met with the same process. Another arrow to her wings. She shot another shard out, but it once again missed Edel as she swam away. This continued until I lost count of how many arrows had been lodged into her wings. Her blood had dyed the water a light red by this point. Though each time she went back into the water fully, Shea shot a shard, all of which were now resting at the floor of the ring. Edel finally aimed the arrow at Shea's chest.

"This is getting old, it's time for you to die." The arrow was shot and I cried out Shea's name, only seeing the water as it was stained in an even darker red, indicating Shea had lost a lot of blood. Kuwabara looked on in disbelief, Hiei's eyes were wide, Loki kind of looked the other way and Kurama closed his eyes, clenching his fists, telling me they all were thinking what I was. Shea had to be dead. The masked fighter was scaring me, as he was strangely calm, focused on the ring. I sank to my knees and I felt tears slipping from my eyes.

"Shea, why didn't you move?" I shouted as I heard Koto counting to ten.

"Five, Six…huh?" I looked up as Koto stopped counting and the water cylinder suddenly exploded, the water washing over us and the stands. Opening my eyes as soon as I felt the water stop coming, I looked up to see Shea was still standing, and now it was Edel on the floor, bleeding. Edel was looking up at Shea, who had a wound in her side.

"How..how did you…" Shea gave her a weak smirk, looking at pieces of shards that rested on the ground.

"You thought I was missing you, huh? Well, those shards were laced with an explosives spell, so, as soon as there was enough cover, I used the last of my energy to ignite them, while you were close enough to the floor to get the brunt of the impact." She explained. That's when I remembered that Genkai had taught her that. She leaned down to Edel's level, whispering something that Loki seemed to catch, and as Shea walked by slowly after the ten count was over, she snorted.

"Jealous girlfriend." Shea didn't respond, and instead sat down by Yusuke, and I watched Kurama as he came to her aid, trying to make something that would help them as painlessly as possible to remove the arrows from her wings. They did give us the point, so Shea seemed satisfied.

* * *

**Normal P.O.V**

"Botan, you better tell us where they went!" Shizuru demanded as Botan sat right in the middle of her and Keiko on the park bench in Midtown Park. Botan kind of backed into Keiko, but found no relief there either as she received the same treatment, just less scary.

"Botan Please? I'm really worried about Yusuke, and Shizuru is worried about Kuwabara." She added in, putting her hands together as if she was ready to all out plead with her. Bruno, Shea's human brother, stood a little further behind where Shizuru was sitting. He had found out from someone in his school that Shea had been hanging out with someone who fit Botan's description just before she vanished without telling anyone. He also stepped forwards, deciding to add in.

"I'm worried about my sister too, and I feel like you know where she is." He commented, coming to stand right in front of Botan now.

"I'm really sorry, but I just can't tell you-"

"And why not?" Shizuru cut in, getting a little impatient now. That was when someone else cut in.

"Keiko?" Keiko looked up to see Shin, staring down at her casually with his hands in his pockets. Keiko blinked.

"what is it Shin?" Shin looked at Kouhei who was standing behind him, and she nodded at him.

"Well, I need to know if you've seen Mimiko. She disappeared a few days ago and her dad is convinced she ran away, so we're trying to find her for him." Keiko shook her head.

"No, sorry, I haven't seen her." Bruno frowned, looking down at Botan.

"Do you know where she is too?" Botan began to sweat a bit as everyone looked at her. She finally sighed and nodded.

"Alright, but I need somewhere less crowded to tell you." She said, giving in completely. How could she win with so many people.

"My place is always empty during the day, my parents aren't home, and it's close by." So that's where they went, and Botan told her story. About how when Yusuke and Mimiko had died, they became spirit detectives upon coming back to life, battling demons and other monsters in order to keep living world safe, and how Kuwabara had joined them. She also told them about Shea being a demon and how she had come to help them, and revealed to Bruno how she really ended up with her eye in that bad then told them they had gone to the Dark Tournament to fight, and how all their lives depended on it. Everyone took their time processing this information, and Bruno was first to finally speak.

"So you're trying to tell me my kid sister is a demon?" Botan nodded, looking down at her lap. Bruno was also suddenly forced to catch Keiko as she fainted. Kouhei looked at Shizuru, who was now smoking one of her cigarettes.

"Well, to tell you the truth, we already knew Mimi became a spirit detective after she came back to life, and we knew what they do."

"You did?" Botan asked in disbelief. Kouhei nodded.

"Yes…but even so, this Tournament sounds too dangerous." Keiko, who had recovered, grabbed Botan by her shoulders.

"You have to take us Botan…I need to know Yusuke is okay." Shizuru nodded.

"Yeah, and I'm going too."

"So am I. Shia's got some explaining to do." Bruno muttered, partly to them, partly to himself. Shin and Kouhei agreed that they wanted to go, and Botan knew she was defeated. There was no way she was going to win this one.

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

We took a break while the stadium dried out a little bit, but it wasn't too long before it was time for the next fight. Koto called us out to fight, which left me and the cloaked girl. However, the boy who I learned was called Rinku, muttered something to her, and as she stepped into the ring, she took her cloak off, revealing herself. It was Sprite, the demon we had met at Tarukane's stronghold.

"Sprite! What are you doing here?" I asked in a low whisper, but she didn't answer me. I then noticed the look in her eyes was desolate, like she couldn't even hear what a was saying, and I saw the bulge under her clothes in the area of her stomach. She was being controlled again. I knew that I had to be careful not to kill her, she was Shea's friend and it wasn't her fighting willingly. This was going to be a fight not only for my life, but for her's as well.


	32. Electric Chains! Mimiko VS Sprite!

**Chapter 32: The Tomoshibi-Mari Spiral! Mimiko VS. Sprite!**

* * *

**Date: September 21st, 2002**

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

Koto explained to us, like she had explained to Edel and Shea, the rules of the fight before stepping backwards. I was nervous, there was no way of denying that. After all, It was going to be hard to fight her, when I didn't even know how she fought. She had control of a pack of wolves last time we fought her, and now it seemed like she was under control once again. What concerned me most was that she hadn't said a word since entering the ring.

Suddenly, I felt a bit of strain on my wrists, and I notice Sprite had raised her hands into the air, and I already didn't like where this was going. Looking down, I realized that these cackling, blue and yellowish electric chains were bound around both of my wrists, connecting together to keep me from moving my hands. I didn't dare move, since the heat coming from them told me these were charged with electricity. Koto's ears flickered as she checked out my wrists.

"Ouch! Tough break for team Urameshi folks, it seems that Sprite has used electric chains to keep Mimiko from using her hands!" Cheers erupted from the stands and I remembered that if I couldn't use my hands, there was no way I could launch my attacks. Sprites deserted eyes didn't leave me, but she didn't smirk at me or anything. She wasn't relishing this, and I doubted she even realized where she was or what she was doing.

"I wouldn't move my hands if I was you…you might receive quite the shock…" She spoke so suddenly, it almost startled me…but…

"_I understand. I'm only saying that I will miss them dearly…" _When Sprite had been in control of herself that one time we spoke with her, her voice had been kind and gentle, deprived of any kind of hatred or resentment. This voice that she was speaking in though…sent chills down my spine… it was like she wasn't really the one talking to me.

"Sprite, can you hear me? Snap out of it! You're being controlled dammit!" I cried out, trying to get her attention, but she stood still, not responding to me at all. I turned to look at my Teammates. Kurama was again standing by Hiei and Loki, observing the fight, and Shea was sitting close to Kuwabara, who had decided to stay farther away from the fight because last time we all got covered in water. He turned and said something to Shea, and in return Shea shook her head, saying something hurriedly back to him and then wincing in pain because she had moved her wing in her rush to turn.

In trying to figure out what to do and looking for assurance in my teammates, I had failed to notice Sprite had moved, and was no longer anywhere in my line of sight. I looked around frantically, trying to give myself any indication of where she had gone off too. Koto was saying something about her disappearing, but I attempted to tune her out.

"Mimiko!" Kuwbara suddenly screamed my name and I knew something was wrong. I suddenly felt a shap pain in my back and a heavy shock to my system as I fell of one knee. I hurriedly tried to get up, looking for a quick way to recover, when I saw the tip of a metal sphere run across my shoulder, and I screamed out as I felt a surge of electricity run through me the minute I moved, the chains on my wrists digging into my skin. I could even smell my wrists burning. More and more cuts opened up on my body as Sprite swung the spear. Finally, I screamed again when the pain of the chains surged through my body as I got up and rammed my shoulder into Sprite, making her back away. I got up and ran backwards, feeling the sting of the electricity. Looking around, and panting heavily, I froze.

Up in the stands, with Botan, Shizuru, Keiko, and Shea's human brother Bruno, were Shin and Kouhei. I stared up at them in disbelief, and Botan shot me an apologetic glance. There were tears in Kouhei's eyes, a stinging sensation fluttered in my heart as I suddenly wondered how long they had been standing there. Next to her, Shin's eyes looked empty, as if he didn't want to believe he was seeing me in the ring, risking my life, the energy being sucked right out of me each time I was shocked. I was pretty beat up, and I could tell because from every cut on my body I felt warm blood trickling out, and my insides felt fried. I tore my gaze away from them and looked around. There had to be some way to remove the chains.

My eyes stopped traveling as I spotted a puddle, which had still not cleared up from Shea's fight with Edel. That was it! Maybe if I just could get there… I began sprinting, tears staining my eyes as the chains burned deeper into my wrists. Sprite was after me the moment I started running. Though before she could swipe at me with her spear again, I threw myself down, hitting the water with my wrists down in it. Nothing happened for a few moments, and even Sprite stood back, she seemed to be wondering what I had planned to accomplish in doing that.

Then suddenly, the chains surged and I began screaming, the electricity possibly visible as it traveled through my already frail body. The burn on my wrists was intense, one I would never forget, if I survived. Though surprisingly, I was not down, and as I had hoped, the chains overdid themselves and disappeared. I looked down at my wrists, seeing double, but I noticed they were charred a deep black where the chains had been.

"And Mimiko strikes back using a clever move to clear herself of those chains! Well hey, we at least got to see a little bit of blood, right? And that suffering was delicious!" Koto blurted over the microphone.

I stumbled back up, trying to focus my double vision on Sprite, who had most likely been two startled to move during my display. Though, by now she had regained her wits, and threw down her spear. She raised her hands and began to form a new attack, a giant ring of electricity that rotated while it formed. She then made a quick motion and it came flying at me. I managed to fumble just out of the way, and instead of me, it ended up hitting the stand behind me, killing at least twenty demons that had just been sitting there instantly. I knew for sure if they couldn't handle that much voltage, that I was lucky to be alive at this point. Quickly now, I raised my own hands and aimed directly for her. Shea had implemented her new move during her last battle, so now it was my turn.

"Tomoshibi-Mari, Spiral!" I swirl of my green energy flew from my hands, forcing itself into several little tornado shaped as it flew towards Sprite. They drove into four different points of her body, where she probably had her energy stored. The power of that attack allowed me to target the source of my opponent's energy, and then drain them of a lot of it. Sprite had already used so much that this attack would take away the rest of it. She fell to the floor, and Koto started the ten count, though, she stood back up after about five seconds. She was about to try to attack me again when Shea called out to her.

"Sprite!" Suddenly, I looked into her eyes, and the dull look had disappeared from them. There was a buckling noise and a machine fell from under her shirt down to the floor.

"Princess…" Sprite stumbled backwards and fell again, and this time, Koto's count made it all the way to ten.

"Well, that's it, looks like Team Urameshi gets the point this time!" Suddenly, jeers erupted from the demons, and many screamed at me, telling me to finish Sprite, now that she was down. They were absolutely blood-thirsty. I opened my mouth to try to scream something back but a sharp roar came out of nowhere, and a shadow flew from the entrance on the opposing teams side, landing in the ring with a fast thud, right in front of Sprite. This creature was a pale yellow, as big as Yuki in his large form. The insides of its ears, chest, and paws were all a light purple, and her tail was big, and looked like someone had stuck it into an electric socket, it stood straight up and it was really fluffy. Its eyes were a coal color, and it was glaring at me.

"Wow! This is a turnaround, seems like a Hell Creature's gotten into the ring and it doesn't look too happy!" Koto announced as the jeering died down. It began advancing on me, step by step, and I could barley move, already feeling as weak as I was. Suddenly, Yuki jumped in front of me with a roar of his own, in his larger form. He had successfully blocked its way, which I was thankful for. A low growl rumbled in Yuki's throat, and it seemed like the other creature, which kind of reminded me of a bat…cat thing, responded too. They continued like this until finally, the other creature snorted and took Sprite onto its back, jumping from the ring and landing in the grass, placing her down and standing over her protectively.

I felt Yuki pushing at my back and let him lead me from the ring. Kuwabara was at the edge of the ring, helping me down as soon as I got there. He looked down at my wrists and asked me if I felt okay. Though I didn't, I said I did and went to sit with Shea. From behind me, I heard Koto announcing the end of the female division. As I sat down, Shea turned to me, her own eyes looking tired.

"Thanks…you know, for letting her live…" I nodded closing my eyes. I'd fall asleep soon, since my energy was spent, but I really needed to rest.


	33. I Hate You, Yusuke!

**Chapter 33: Yuki's Hell Form! I Hate you, Yusuke!**

* * *

**Date: September 23nd, 2002**

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

The fight with Team Rokkuyukai hadn't been over for more than two days, but we were all still recovering from our injuries. Shea and I, we had recovered pretty well, and Botan had wrapped some bandages around my wrists, which she said would take away the ash of the wound in due time. Kuwabara was just recovering from plenty of bumps and bruises. He had in his fight, been dropped and pulled around quite a few times by Rinku, the team's kid-like demon, who could do some pretty cool and scary things with Yoyos. Rinku was able to keep his life in beating our Team Member.

Hiei had some minor wounds as well from his fight with Zeru. That was a fight where I learned a lot about Hiei. Kurama and Loki had given me and Shea a lesson on the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, which was the move he had used to…completely burn Zeru to nothing but an ash heap. Kurama had put up a fight against Roto, a crafty, slimy little demon on their team, who had apparently threatened his mother from what Shea told me. Though, Kurama outsmarted him, and Roto was killed as well. The last member had been one who had deceived us. We thought Zeru was the leader, but it turned out it was this really big drunkard named Chu, who I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the last of, since Yusuke finally woke up and fought him, he let him live, much like Shea and I had done to our opponents. Though the cuts in his foot from the Knife-edge death match they had gotten into would need some healing.

I never did explain what happened with Kouhei and Shin, did I? Well…needless to say, neither of them were too happy with me. They were mad at me for a long few hours, until we finally got to sit down and talk. They said they weren't happy about how dangerous this tournament was, but they finally understood that I had no choice but to fight in it. I told them I'd be more careful in the future fights, and they agreed they wouldn't try and get in the way, even though I could tell they didn't believe me. How could they? I mean, I almost had gotten myself killed by Sprite.

It was about a day or two after that Botan suggested the girls go out, just us, while the boys went out to train or whatever it was they did. We had agreed since the next fight wasn't for another three days anyway. I didn't know who we were going to be up against, but I probably didn't want to know anyway.

"Now girls, isn't this a great little outing?" Botan asked, stretching her arms over her head. Shizuru, who was walking next to me, huffed after removing her cigarette from her mouth, and I noted the puff of smoke.

"Yes, because a walk on an island filled with a bunch of ugly demons is calming, isn't it?" Botan laughed nervously while Kouhei, who was on my other side, coughed uncomfortably.

"Mimi, I don't like this place much." Shea, who was behind her, would have been walking right beside Loki if Keiko hadn't been in the middle of them, shrugged.

"I'd be better if the fire rat hadn't come along." Loki narrowed her eyes at Shea, who stuck her tongue out at her.

"I'd watch my back if I were you, stupid Vixen." Shea rolled her eyes.

"Who needs to watch my back? You're so short I'd have to watch my feet." Loki opened the canteen of oil that sat at her waist and Keiko and Kouhei ran ahead, afraid of what was going to happen. Though Shizuru was the calmer one, closing her eyes and flipping her hair.

"Can't you two give it a break? I don't know a lot about either of you but Kazuma says you fight a lot." Botan nodded in agreement with what Shizuru was saying.

"Yes I think you both fight more than Kuwabara and Hiei."

"As if that's possible…" I added in. Loki gave a snort and put the lid back onto the oil canteen, sending a final glare at Shea before continuing forwards. Yuki rested on Shea's shoulder, curled up by the crook of her neck in a little ball of white and red fur. He looked peaceful, and overall, really cute. Then, I remembered what Shea had told me about him on our first case. He was a hell creature. Kouhei and Keiko had come back to us now that the danger of Shea and Loki killing each other was gone.

"Shea?" Shea turned back to look at me, calmly walking backwards.

"Yeah?" I looked on her shoulder, to Yuki, who was still as asleep as ever.

"Are you sure Yuki's a Hell creature?" Shea looked on her shoulder and nodded gently, so she didn't wake him up.

"Yes." Keiko and Kouhei looked confused.

"What exactly is a…Hell creature?" Keiko asked. I could see the curiosity in her eyes as she watched the ball of fur on Shea's neck.

"It's just a creature made from demons hatred towards Humans, and Yuki sure is one of them. My demon father tamed him, but he was always more partial to me. The reason he is so well trained is because my father worked with him for years. Believe it or not when he first got him, he was as vicious as you can imagine a Hell Creature to be." Kouhei now looked interested too, and she hung on to my arm as we walked.

"Are there others like him?" Shea cleared her throat a little bit. She was a bit uncomfortable talking to Keiko and Kouhei, but she was starting to relax.

"There are others like him. Do you remember that thing that stepped into the ring during Mimiko's fight? That was a hell creature too, and I'm sure it was mentioned. It was trying to protect Sprite, because Sprite is its master too. If Mimiko had made any moves to try and harm Sprite…it would have-" She froze suddenly, and I sensed something wrong too. Botan seemed to pick up on it too, as she focused her attention on Kouhei, Keiko, and Shizuru.

The bushes began to rustle, and from the shadows of the shaded area, came several demons. These seemed to be normal fans, but they were carrying bats, clubs, and many other dangerous things. Loki, Shea, and I all looked at eachother, and I ushered Keiko and Botan into a triangle along with Shizuru, with Botan in the center. Loki Shea and I formed a triangle of our own, being the only fighters among the group.

"I suppose you aren't here to congratulate us, are you fellas?" Shea asked sarcastically, letting her healing wings spread from her shoulder blades. Yuki was now awake, and he was still in his small form, the fur on his back bristling as he watched the demons around us. One of them laughed, stepping forwards.

"You can be sure that we aren't." he beat his bat against his palm and I narrowed my eyes a bit. Loki scoffed.

"Well, seems like you're here to die then."

"Try it, small fry!" Another challenged. They came at us all at once, and we began beating them off with our fists. Shea and I wanted to use our powers, but we were still too drained from our fights to do anything. Shea had just changed forms as a bluff, trying to get them to believe she was a danger. Loki formed a fast fireball and sent it flying. It slammed into a huge chunk of the many demons coming at us, killing them, but I knew from the look on her face that she was running low on oil. I was thankful Yusuke had shown me how to use my fists, but I couldn't keep this up for too much longer.

There was a clang of a bat and Shea fell. She must have let her guard down, and she fell to the floor, holding her head. Yuki, who had been in his larger form at this point, helping to defend everyone, turned upon Shea going down. He snarled, jumping in front of her and the gap there now was to get to the more defenseless girls. His snarls grew louder, and as he watched the demons continue coming at us, I noticed his fur was bristling even more. He howled and his fur suddenly shrouded into a dark black, a blue fire now engulfing his entire body, and his crimson eyes lost to a heavy blue glow.

He howled again, and this time, it sent shivers down my spine, as it sounded…unlike Yuki at all. He leapt right onto one of the demons, tearing at his flesh with enlarged claws and front fangs. Anything touched by his fire was set ablaze, and that included the demons. He unleashed a giant fireball which was at least twice the size of the ones Loki could form, and at this point he had sent the demon fans running. Botan stepped in front of Yuki, to try and calm him.

"Yuki, it's alright, they're gone now." Yuki turned suddenly, his bright fiery gaze on Botan. Keiko screamed behind me as he suddenly leapt at Botan. Loki however, was quick as well, and pushed Botan from the way. Though I wondered what was happening to Yuki. Why was he attacking Botan?

_"You tame these animals in demon world. They are created from the pure hatred of humans by demons. There is certainly no guarantee they won't turn around and kill you. They control their own actions, unless yours is really well tamed. Yuki here just happens to be really well tamed. Right boy?"_

Shea's words echoed through my mind. Was Yuki regressing?

"Mimiko!" The next thing I saw was Yuki barreling towards me, and I quickly moved Keiko, who was directly behind me, out of the way.

"Spirit Gun!" Yuki was blasted with a bright flash of blue energy, and I somehow felt relieved as the boys arrived on the Scene. Yuki was knocked back against a tree, still growling, but he seemed unable to get up. Though, my relief faded as Yusuke stood over Yuki.

"You move and I'm going to kill you, you stupid monster." There was a cry that made Yusuke take his finger from shooting position.

"Don't touch him!" As this was said, Yuki passed out, his features returning to normal as Shea came too, rushing over and placing herself between Yusuke and her pet. Yusuke's eyes shown with the realization of the creature being Yuki. Shea must have not have been aware that Yuki attacked us, because she stood up, slapping Yusuke clear across the face.

"He was trying to Protect me, and you almost killed him!" Yusuke was about to say something, but Shea didn't give him the chance to scream back.

"I…I can't believe you! He was trying to save us...I hate you Yusuke!" She wasn't crying, but she stormed off, not giving Yusuke a chance, so he called out after her.

"If that's how you show how grateful you are, remind me not to do you anymore favors!" I bent down next to Yuki, who was still passed out and touched his face gently. Loki looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"Loki?"

"So…that was a Hell Creature's true form, was it?" Kouhei blinked, trying to forget what had just happened, I imagined.

"True form?"

"I've heard a bit about hell creatures. When they experience extreme rage, they'll transform, but it only happens in extreme cases. Yuki was cornered, we were losing, and he wasn't sure what to do. That idiot was knocked out the entire time so she wasn't aware that Yusuke didn't know that it was Yuki." I looked at Kurama, wanting to know why he hadn't gone after Shea, but I did in truth, know as well as he did that that wasn't going to fix anything, and I watched as Keiko followed after Yusuke, who seemed really pissed off. What were we supposed to do now? Well, I don't even think Koenma could answer that one.


	34. A Heart to Heart

**Chapter 34: A Heart to Heart**

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**Date: September 24th, 2002**

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**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

Now, if I was to tell you that things had gotten any better the next day, I'd be lying to you. Shea had pointedly avoided waking up late, so she could avoid sitting in the same room as Yusuke, or so I guessed. Unfortunately, this meant I was to go with her. The air was brisk and cool against my skin as we walked down the woodland path to whatever destination was meant for us. Kurama had instructed us not to come out alone today, but Shea had ignored those orders, which was an easy way to start a fight, that was for sure.

"Shea, maybe we should head back, remember what happened yesterday." I reminded her briefly. These words were met with a snort of defiance from Shea, who continued ahead of me without turning back.

"All I remember is Yusuke trying to kill Yuki." She insisted. I sighed, shaking my head.

"Shea, he was only trying to-" Shea made it clear she wouldn't listen to me by breaking out into a run, and I had to chase after her, out of breath by the time we reached the shore side.

"Shea!" I said finally. The plum-haired girl settled down, resting in the sand. Her expression was unreadable as she looked back at me, her dull eye, unable to hold any glitter of emotion, was also making it even harder to tell what she was thinking.

"Yusuke didn't know that he was Yuki." I swore, touching her shoulder. She tugged away from my touch, closing her eyes.

"Right because the white fur, the red markings, and the giant fox markings aren't good enough indication, right?" She snapped, making me flinch. She looked regretful as her eyes opened again, and she stood up.

"Look, I'm mad at him, not you, so I'm not going to fight with you because you're defending him." She didn't wait for my response as she hopped up again, walking away as quickly as she could. Sighing, I fell back into the sand, feeling soothed by the cool touch if only for a second.

"Come on Kurama, there has to be _something_ you can do!" I insisted later on as we sat in the living room. It was Hiei who answered me instead, since he was the only other one in the room besides us and Loki.

"Hn. Do you think that he can stop her from acting like bitch if you can't?" I gave a sideways glance to him, then rolled my eyes.

"Hiei, she doesn't know what happened, and she won't let me tell her." Loki shook her head.

"There you are. The stupid vixen is wrong and she doesn't want to admit it. That's why she won't listen to you." She concluded. Kurama didn't react until he was able to sit down next to me, as he was busy sorting papers before.

"That's enough of the two 'optomists' Kurama, can't you do anything about her?" After a moment, Kurama's emerald eyes flecked, and he shook his head.

"No." I sighed, placing my face into my palm.

"And why not Casanova?" I questioned, making it quite obvious I was hinting at something. Kurama ignored that and looked thoughtful.

"I can't tell Shea what to do or who to like Mimiko. She thinks Yusuke tried to kill Yuki, without realizing that Yuki was in his hell form. It's up to Yusuke to make her understand that." I sighed, crossing my arms.

"But they're both extremely hard headed! Asking either one of them to apologize is like asking hell to freeze over, especially if it's to each other!" Kurama didn't say anything else as he got up, but as he got to the door, he looked back at me, slightly playful if anything else.

"Don't worry, things will be sorted out." And with that, he closed the door behind him. I ignored Hiei, and instead turned to look at Loki.

"He has to be one of the most cryptic guys I've ever met."

"He only let's you see what he wants you to see." Was her only response. Bidding goodbye to Loki and Hiei, I went to find Keiko, maybe find out how Yusuke was dealing. I found her in the hotel lobby, and she looked a bit worried.

"Keiko?" I called. She turned her gaze to me and brightened a bit.

"Mimiko! Have…you seen Yusuke around?" I could only give her a shrug in response, because at this point, I didn't even know where Shea was. She looked as down as she had when I ran into her after I said this, making me feel bad.

"B-but we can look for him, come on!" She let me take her arm and drag her out of the hotel. We wandered the paths carefully, especially wary of everything as we moved. My energy was returning, but slowly at best, so we still had to be the way, I managed to smack right into someone. He was much taller than me, with brown hair and bright green eyes.

"Oh, you're Shi- Shea's friend, right?" This was Shea's human brother, Bruno. He was friendly enough from what I knew of him. Keiko looked up at him, not wasting time in asking her question.

"Have you seen Yusuke Bruno? I haven't seen him all morning, and no one I've talked to have spotted him." Bruno thought for a moment, finally giving her a shrug.

"I think I saw him down by the lak-" There was a sudden scream coming from down the path, which led to the lake beyond it. I blinked before glancing at Keiko. That sounded like Kouhei!

"Stay here Keiko. Bruno, take care of her!" I got an okay from the boy as I darted off, trying to reach the lake as fast as I could. Skidding to a halt as I made it, I found Kouhei, eyes wide with fear as a couple of demons advanced on her. In front of her, were both Yusuke and Shea, fending them off as quickly as they could. As soon as Kouhei saw me, she ran out from behind them to cling to me. As Yusuke took care of one of the two final demons, the other had Shea cornered at the edge of the lake. It managed a punch, sending her skidding into the middle of the lake. Yusuke, who had just taken care of the last demon, killed off the one that had punched her, and now, he stood at the edge of the lake and Shea struggled in the water.

"She can swim, can't she?..." Kouhei wondered worriedly. I watched Shea as she struggled, recognizing fear on her face. Flashes of her struggle with Edel came to her mind. Had it made her scared of swimming?

"Yusuke! You have to help her! I won't be able to get to the middle fast enough!" Yusuke, eyes wide with realization, turned to go.

"Hold on Shea!" He called out, jumping into the water. Yusuke reached her just as she began to give up, and Kouhei and I watched in an eerie silence as the middle of the lake bubbled. Yusuke popped up a few moments later, propping Shea up beside him. We met him at the water's edge, pulling Shea out of the water as he climbed out himself.

"Shea…come on, get up, you're okay now." I coaxed. Shea coughed and took rapid breaths to get her air back, also looking like she was trying to come out of shock. Once she had calm down, she glanced over to Yusuke. They stared each other down for the longest time, before suddenly bursting into laughter. Kouhei and I were needless to say, confused as the laughter died down. Had they shared some kind of silent connection?

"I know now." Shea stated, standing up and wringing out her soaked shirt. "Yuki was trying to protect me, and so were you. So I'm sorry." Her voice was genuine, and it made me sigh in relief. Neither of them seemed mad anymore as Yusuke nodded.

"Hey, we all make assumptions right?" He asked as he began to dry his own clothes out. "It's fine." Though he didn't apologize, I sensed that it was what he meant, and Shea seemed to sense it too, as a light hearted smile played on her features.

"So, one of you mind telling me what happened?" I asked as we headed up the path from the lake. Kouhei took the chance to explain.

"I was at the lake when these two showed up. They seemed upset with each other, and I offered to leave, but as I went too those demons attacked me. So Shea and Yusuke rescued me." Shea and Yusuke nodded slightly to confirm her story. We met up with Keiko and Bruno where I had left them, and Bruno seemed relieved to see his sister while Keiko seemed glad they were alright again. Maybe that was what Kurama had meant by things would sort themselves out? Well, I can't tell you I think that guy is as easy to read as a book, but he sure knows what he's talking about.

"Hey Mimiko, come on, It won't be any good if me and Shea get sick before the next fight." Yusuke snapped me out of my thoughts, the others a bit ahead of him.

"Right, coming!" he waited until caught up to him to start walking, and Keiko and Kouhei dropped back to join us. Suddenly, the next fight didn't seem so scary, now that my team members weren't considering each other the enemy.


	35. The House of Smoke and Mirrors!

**Chapter 35: Welcome to the House of Smoke and Mirrors!**

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**Date: September 26th, 2002**

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**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

The day of the fight against our second team, I had to admit I was nervous. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and I all sat around the table. Yusuke was eating well, like Yusuke normally would, but as I picked up a croissant I realized Kuwabara had barely touched anything. Frowning, I tossed Yusuke the one I was about to eat and poked Kuwabara's shoulder. He had a mini freak-out before he looked at me.

"Mimiko! Don't do that when I'm thinkin' okay?" He said once he had calmed down, he then noticed the frown on my face and went silent so I could ask the question he could see was etched into my mind at the moment.

"What's wrong Kuwabara? Aren't you hungry? You can't fight on an empty stomach." Kuwabara blinked and I felt Yusuke peering over my shoulder.

"If you don't like croissants or something I have no problem eating yours." He pitched in, to which Kuwabara reacted quickly.

"It's not that Urameshi!" he snapped. He took notice of me, still expecting an answer and looked around.

"Have you seen Kurama around anywhere? This is something I think he could help me with."

"He went out this morning, same with Hiei." I responded. Loki and Shea had also gone out this morning, but we were supposed to meet up just before the fights and go together. Kuwabara seemed upset still, and I blinked.

"Kuwabara, you can tell us what's wrong. If Yusuke laughs at you, I'll slap him for you."

"You can't touch me."

"I'll get Keiko to slap you."

"…" Yusuke was silent behind me now and I could focus my full attention on Kuwabara. The carrot-top looked hesitant, but finally decided to speak.

"I had this weird dream last night-"

"Is this something Mimiko would _want _to hear?"

"Yusuke, can it!" Kuwabara waited for Yusuke's snickering to silence before going on.

"I had a dream, and it was about the next team we're fighting…" I found it peculiar that his dream was about our next opponents, and how he knew that I wasn't sure, but I flashed him an interested look as he continued. Yusuke had stopped eating behind me, so I could tell he had probably stopped to listen.

"They were taking care of someone close to them, he was sick, but some…weird guy came in and gave them all the choice to fight for him, and he'd save the sick guy… so they agreed but, they don't want to be here." Looking back at Yusuke, I could see the doubt in his eyes, but I looked back up at Kuwabara.

"Who was in the dream?"

"Three guys and a girl." Kuwabara responded. "I feel like they sent that dream to me, like it's something they want me to know." I stood, pushing the rest of my breakfast towards Kuwabara. I felt the other two watching me as I headed towards the door.

"Kuwabara, just be careful. Don't dwell on dreams like that, we still need to meet our opponents, maybe find out if they need help then." I heard Kuwabara grunt quickly in a reply, and shut the door.

* * *

"It's about time you got here." Shea commented as I walked towards them. Loki was sitting up on the branches of one of the trees, probably in an attempt by the two to avoid fighting, knowing I'd be upset if they did. Well, I could always hope that was it. Upon seeing me, she jumped down and landed in the grass, still avoiding Shea.

"You two didn't get into an argument did you?" I questioned, glancing at the two suspiciously.

"No more than usual." Loki replied. "Stupid Vixen." Shea flicked a warning glare at her, but the other demon turned to avoid it.

"Whatever, sorry I asked! Let's just go." I muttered under my breath. The two didn't hesitate at all, but instead followed after me. In a short amount of time we didn't cover much ground, but the fight still wasn't going to fight for a little while.

"Aw come on now Spritey, you never want to try anythin' I want to give you do you?" The voice was familiar, and Shea covered her nose as the smell that must have run past her nose.

"It's the lush." She reported. We still went to investigate, finding Sprite, Chu, and Rinku, the three of four remaining members from the last team we faced. They were out of the tournament, so I was surprised they were still on the island. Sprite had turned away from the liquid, her green eyes watery, probably from the smell of whatever liquor Chu was offering her.

"It's fine Chu, I really don't want it."

"She's just saying that because she's light." Rinku put in, making Sprite turn to cast what was possibly the most least threatening glare I had ever seen at the kid-demon.

"I am not! But Ogre Killer is something my stomach tells me to stay away from…"

"Along with all the other brands Chu's offered you…"

"Be quiet Rinku…" I stepped through the bushes and the rustling caught their attention. Sprite, upon seeing that it was us, went right over to Shea.

"Princess! I'm glad to see that you've been getting better after your fight with Edel!" Shea looked away shyly.

"Thanks, but Sprite, don't worry about calling me Princess here. I'm a normal demon now…actually, always was." Sprite smiled and gave her a nod.

"Right…it will feel weird, but from now on I'll just call you Shea." Shea seemed pleased with that aspect and nodded to let her know it was good. I took notice of Rinku and Chu looking over at Loki and I and nudged the orange-haired demon forwards, following after her.

"Hey, we didn't really meet too formally during the battles…I'm Mimiko, and this is Loki." Chu seemed very pleased to meet us, and his overly firm handshake (and by that I mean it really hurt) told me that. Loki seemed more hesitant and Chu glanced curiously at her.

"Oh yeah, who's she? I didn' see her in any of the fights." Loki took this chance to speak for herself.

"I serve my master Hiei." Rinku looked at her curiously.

"Does that mean you're his-"

"No." When I noticed Shea stop talking to Sprite to smirk at Loki, I glared at her. She gave me a passing glance, snickered, and began speaking to Sprite once again. Rolling my eyes, I gasped after suddenly being grabbed by Chu.

"Ey, you wouldn' happen to like Ogre killer would you?" Blinking, I didn't exactly know how to respond to that. Sprite was quick to jump him.

"Chu stop it, I know you want to drink it yourself, so just drink it!" Chu stared at her before letting out a hearty laugh.

"If that's what you want Spritey!" Rinku startled me a bit, as I hadn't heard or seen him come to my side.

"See? We aren't always so threatening, only if you're up against us. But we really liked how your team fought. Some better than others…" by that, I knew he was referring to Kuwabara, who had lost against him.

"Yusuke's a fine bloke as well he is!" Chu pitched in, downing something that wasn't the Ogre killer he had been offering earlier. I remembered Kurama explaining getting drunk was where Chu got his power from, and I supposed he didn't want to use up his strongest drink just yet.

"Mimiko, have..those wounds healed?" she sounded hesitant to ask me as she walked over, taking one of my wrists with a gentle touch and turning it, making sure the ash wounds were almost gone. She seemed guilty for having fought me, but I gave her a nod.

"Healing nicely. Shea and I have plenty of energy now that we've rested for a few days." I assured the thunder demon, and I found a hint of relief on her face as she let my wrist go.

"We should get going." Loki mentioned, motioning towards the path. After the band of three assured us we'd see them again, we left them behind, continuing on our way to the stadium. There was a barking coming from the skies, and we looked above us to find Yuki hovering just behind, landing next to Shea.

"Hey look, Yuki's feeling better!" I commented. Shea nodded and ran her hand gently down his spine. We didn't continue too much farther before Loki and Shea stopped suddenly, along with Yuki. The fire on his ankles ignited, and I could see that his hackles were raised and his fur was bristling.

"Guys, what's going on?" I asked, feeling very out of the loop. Shea and Loki backed up, and a low growl stuck in Shea's throat.

"We've got company." Loki answered. "And it isn't as friendly as the last company we had." Suddenly, a voice crashed through the air, causing me to nervously glance at each of my friends.

"Welcome…we've been waiting for you girls all morning!" this was followed by a laugh as the smells and the sights of the woodland area we had been walking in vanished suddenly, replaced by a cold stone floor and dull gray walls, and I took note of the fact that there was no windows to be found.

"Behold the house of smoke and mirrors. We, your captors, we belong to Team Itchigaki, the team you're fighting today." After a fir of laughter, the voice added. "Too bad we were sent to distract you!" After I sensed a chilling aura, I looked up and couldn't stifle my gasp.

"Up there!" I called. Loki and Shea looked up to where I was pointing. Standing on a steel beam was a girl who looked about my age, but with much more peculiar features. Her hair was a snow white color, though her bangs concealed her eyes completely. Her tanned skin stuck out against the dull stone, and I didn't have time to shout at her as she moved away. Obviously, she was one of our opponents, but, she certainly wasn't the mad woman that was talking to us. She was fast though, I had to admit, because she was out of our sights within moments as bigger doors opened up in front of us.

"Now, enter, and marvel at the… 'games' we have in store for you!" and already, I didn't like where this was going.


	36. Chilling Silence, Aoi!

**Chapter 36: The Chilling Silence, Aoi!**

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**Date: September 26th, 2002**

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**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

Trapped inside this house that had seemed to appear from nowhere around us, Shea, Loki, and I, would now have to go along with whatever it was that we were to do in order to escape. I let out a soft sigh as Shea and Loki began ahead, and continued on hesitantly after them.

"Well…this looks…dreary…" Shea trailed at the last word, not sure how to finish that off it seemed. Yuki's tails tickled my arm as he walked just ahead of me, ears pricked as if he was on the alert for danger. We entered a stone room just like the last, with one difference. The door that led to the next room was dressed in chains, blocking our escape route.

"How are we supposed to get passed that thing?" Loki questioned, her voice calmer than Shea's had been earlier.

"We'll have to bust through." I answered. Though before we could even attempt, a stomping came from one of the more shadowy parts of the room. A hiss told me whatever was coming at us, sure wasn't friendly. Shea sniffed the air, and just in time for a giant scorpion creature to come charging at us.

"Mimiko, something doesn't smell right about that thing…it's like the scent is there, but it's really faint even though it's so close to us!" I let her know that I heard her, but there was no time to respond as the creature reared up, barreling towards us, and we were close to getting stomped on as we scattered in three different directions, Yuki flying straight up into the air. Shea and I were sure to avoid its tail, and I saw Shea dodging to the side to avoid the giant barb on the scorpion's tail that came crashing down. I kept on guard but was soon distracted by a quick yelp of pain. I recognized the voice as Loki's quickly.

"Loki! What happened!" I called desperately, trying to see past the creature. As it moved to attack Shea, I saw Loki on the ground, holding her shoulder as blood dripped down from it. Looking up at the tip of the scorpion's tail, now glistening with blood, it wasn't too hard to figure out. It wouldn't let me pass it at all, so I was unable to reach my ailing friend.

"Shea, Loki got stung!" I called out as I dodged another hit. Shea, who had been shooting shards at it, let her frown deepen.

"Geez! Yuki, defend her!" Shea ordered. I spotted a flash of white fly over the Scorpion, landing on its other side. A voice made me jump as it blared through the room like thunder.

"Hurry, Hurry! If you do not, I can say your friend will not fare well!" it sang, letting out a horrible laugh at the end. When the Scorpion moved from the way in order to go after Shea again, Loki was coughing violently, blood coming out within the next few rasps and staining the lace of her collar. Shea was wide eyed as she glanced over to Loki while the creature went to attack me. I would have attacked, but found it better to dodge, since Shea's shards hadn't been working on it, my attacks would be a waste as well.

"That can't be a result of the Poison!" Shea yelled over the Scorpion's hiss. It was only then that I realized Loki was in true danger. The sickness that she had must have become agitated by the poison running through her blood. Skidding across the floor in order to avoid another attack, I noticed a box on the door that I hadn't seen before. Maybe that was something important…

"Shea! Try and break that box over there will you?" I called out. The mixed demon turned her attention to where I was looking, and I took the time to distract it while Shea spread her wings. It continued after me until I noticed Shea allowing her wings to glow, hitting the box with a powerful flap and sending it flying off the hinges. That was an offensive move she had learned during her training under Genkai.

"Mimiko!" Shea's call snapped me from my thoughts, and I noticed the Scorpion was fading away, now completely still. Loki's violent coughing spasms began to quiet, and Shea bent down, sniffing at the shoulder wound.

"I don't smell the poison anymore." She reported as Loki stood up shakily. I didn't get it. Why did it fade so suddenly, and why did Loki's poison vanish? Unless…

"Illusions!" I called, smacking one of my fists into the opposite palm. Shea raised an eyebrow, turning to look at me.

"Care to explain that? Kind of vague…"

"They said this was the house of smoke and mirrors. It _had _to have been an illusion." I concluded. Shea nodded in agreement, and Loki held her shoulder.

"Well the poison and the damn Scorpion may have been illusions, but this damn wound isn't." I found that strange, but shook my head.

"Are you alright Loki?" I was worried since her it seemed to be the illness she had spoken to me about that had caused her to cough up blood.

"Fine, the chains faded too, so the door is open now, let's go."

"This house is too creepy for me…" I had to agree with Shea. Yusuke was probably really mad that we were so late, but at least he had the others.

* * *

**Normal P.O.V.**

The stadium was packed with hundreds of different demons, and it made Kouhei feel pretty uncomfortable, sitting in the midst of them all. Shin was beside her, keeping a cautious eye on the few sitting closest to him, off in back mostly. Keiko was sitting to his other side with Shizuru, and Kouhei was sitting between him and Bruno, who had Botan beside him. Botan seemed extremely worried, since the match had been held up. Shea, Loki, Mimiko, Kurama, and Hiei had not shown up at the stadium, and Yusuke tried to stall for a bit of time, underlying worry was evident as he probably also wondered where the others had gone off too. If that wasn't enough, four of Team Itchigaki's members were missing as well.

"I'm telling you, I feel like there's something very…off about this! Mimiko told Yusuke and Kuwabara she'd meet them here, so it isn't like they got sidetracked and went off on a stroll! And Kurama and Hiei aren't ones to be absent from a fight!" she fretted. Bruno glanced at her sympathetically, before speaking himself.

"Are you sure that they hadn't decided last minute that they didn't need everyone to fight today?" Botan nodded, glancing down towards the ring to Yusuke, Kuwabara, and the Masked Fighter, who seemed a lot calmer than the other two. Then again, he was always that way.

"I wish I could say that was possible, but like I said, Mimiko said she'd be here, she told Yusuke. Yusuke never said anything about any kind of agreement like that. Besides, it would be risky for the underdogs _not_ to have all their members by choice." She answered, seeming a bit discouraged. Shin cleared his throat, making Kouhei look up at him.

"Kou, I'm very worried about Makoto… are you sure we shouldn't tell Mimi about him?" Kouhei's gaze softened to sadness as she nodded.

"You know how much worse he has become after he figured out Mimiko left. I want to tell her too, but it would only make her sad. I know she would want to go straight home and tell him things were going to be okay. She's already told us she can't do that, so it's better she doesn't know." Botan, overhearing this, leaned over Bruno, who shifted to allow her to do so.

"You know Shin, Kouhei, if Yusuke's team wins this tournament, they all get a wish. Anything they want will be theirs. While Mimiko was dead, I had a chance to see her brother, and he was so sweet. I'm sure that's what Mimiko would wish for." She promised them. Kouhei looked down at her hands, a light sigh passing her lips.

"I only wish that could happen." Botan frowned, figuring out that Kouhei was doubtful about all of this wish business she had mentioned, even if Shin seemed to think about it. Keiko pulled on Shin's sleeve, making him look down at her.

"Don't worry; I'm sure it will be okay." Even though a slight hint of doubt entered her own voice, Shin smiled at her and nodded, going back to looking down towards the ring. Koto was standing in the middle of it, looking ready to speak.

"Alright. The battle ruling is a now a three on three, due to each team having four fighters missing! No worries though, I'm sure it will be just as bloody people!"

"Do you think it's possible someone's holding them up?" Shizuru asked, making Botan shrug.

"I hope not…"

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

After a while more of roaming around, we had found ourselves in a lush green garden, though Shea complained the smell of the flowers was bugging her.

"Stop complaining." Loki muttered at the other girl, who shot back with a dirty look. At least I knew Loki was feeling better.. As we stopped in the middle of the garden, a snort caught my attention. Yuki let loose a growl, and we turned in the direction her was staring into. A midnight black horse, shrouded by angry orange flames stood in the middle of an isle of plants, the grass below its feet slowly catching fire. Its red eyes flared and it let out a screech of challenge, daring us to come at it. Without even a warning, Loki climbed onto Yuki's back. Shea was going to say something but I stopped her. Loki and Yuki were both least likely to get damaged by the flames, while we stood no chance if it tried to hit us. Yuki seemed to understand this too as the horse charged.

"Now!" Loki called. Yuki dodged to the side and ran off, leaving the fiery horse to charge into a bramble bush behind them. It screeched again and veered after them, the undergrowth catching fire quickly. Moments later Shea and I were even starting to feel the heat of the flames. Loki and Yuki were still distracting the creature when I felt Shea grab both my arms, hoisting me up into the air as quickly as possible. Loki seemed to be trying to find a right time to attack, if there was one.

"I can't hold you for that long…" Shea warned, and I was suddenly aware that she was being weighed down. Loki glanced up at us and jumped off of Yuki, letting him fly up in order to let both of us onto his back. She was left on a single patch of grass. She lifted a dagger she had…which I hadn't known about until that moment, she aimed it carefully and let it fly. It lodged itself into the horses side, just into its stomach. It screeched, which sounded like bloody murder, before everything seemed to explode. Angry flames were washed away, and the horse disappeared as well. Yuki landed next to Loki, letting us off next to her.

"How did you do that Loki? It seemed so much easier to beat then that Scorpion." I asked. Loki pointed to the ground, and I spotted the broken remains of a box, much like the one we had destroyed in the last room.

"It was hidden in the horse itself that disarmed the illusion." She said, motioning to the open door on the other side of the greenhouse garden. As we entered through it, we were greeted by a twisting room, filled with plenty of funhouse mirrors. Shea cringed.

"I always hated funhouses." Another unfamiliar voice interrupted her, and we turned our attention to the center of the room. The girl with white hair stood next to a much uglier, slimy looking frog creature. In fact, I could barley tell if it was a girl, if not for the fact that it was wearing lipstick.

"Welcome, to my playroom!" The frog creature cackled. "I am Mahi, and this is Aoi, and we are part of Team Itchigaki! The doctor has worked endlessly to find way to distract you, and he trusted me and Aoi to do so!"

"Distract us from what?" I demanded. Mahi didn't answer for a moment, but then smirked.

"As we speak, your friends has most likely started fighting our other teammates, he wanted us to keep you away, so here we are…" there was more laughter as she turned to Aoi. Aoi showed no emotion, which would have been hard to figure out even if she did, because her eyes were concealed by her bangs. Aoi held out her hands and they began to glow, and before us more ugly Mahi's began to appear. I backed up against Shea as they began to run around, similar to that old game where you'd hide a ball under a cup and switch around with other, empty cups, to try and find which one had the ball under it. Though what happened next scared me. All the Mahi's, six of them, vanished into different mirrors. Aoi said nothing as she kept up her illusion, but Mahi's voice boomed even though she wasn't in view.

"The boxes you destroyed carried traces of Aoi's illusion power…it's a very useful ability and has helped us through many, many battles before. Now my power…" I shouted out suddenly as something harsh whipped my back, digging into my skin. Shea and Loki jumped. Turning, I spotted Mahi retreating into the mirror again.

"Aoi's illusions can inflict pain as well…" Shea and Loki were each stung in the same manner as I was, and this continued to happen, her attacks coming from all different directions, and it was certainly her and her illusionary selves at work.

"How is she doing this?" Shea hissed, the hostility she felt for Mahi burning in her eyes.

"She must be in the mirrors…" Loki suggested. Shea turned to one, shooting a shard at the string that held it. It was one on the top.

"Then let's start breaking them." We all took to breaking them, Loki launching fire attacks, each of us trying to ignore the sting as Mahi hit us again and again.

"Stop it, Stop it!" She cried, but we ignored her and continued to use out energy and powers to knock them over. Finally, the last mirror stood, and we were covered in plenty of cuts from the broken glass. I had to wonder why Aoi hadn't tried to defend Mahi yet.

"No! I will get ou-" Before she could enter through the mirror again, a shadow flashed passed it, knocking it down. The glass shattered and Mahi was suddenly silent.

"Mahi. The one with the power to travel through mirrors…pity that she hadn't realized what would happen if all the mirrors broke." I recognized his voice right away, and looked up to see Yuudai, his arms crossed as he pushed some broken glass with his foot.

"Yuudai! How did you-"

"I'm not stalking you, before you get that impression. I came to see the tournament." What I wanted to know was how he even knew about it. He looked over at Aoi, who had stopped using her illusion power. Her mouth was open, as if she was gasping. Yuudai dipped his head to her.

"It's been a while Aoi." Aoi nodded and began to walk toward me. I went on the defensive instantly, but Yuudai stopped me.

"Calm down Mimiko, let her come to you. She has something she wants to show you." Wondering how he knew her, I nodded.

"O-okay." Shea and Loki tensed, but didn't do anything. She held my wrists and the whole scene of the mansion came crashing down around us, replaced by what seemed to be a dojo.

* * *

_It was a dark day, and Shea, Loki and I could see a figure, who was laying sick on a tatami breathing was hard and five younger people surrounded him. They were all different ages, and all five of them were crying._

"_Master, please don't leave us…" the girl cried. By her white hair, I could recognize her as Aoi. The boy with blonde hair was that…it was Yuudai! He was crying as well, holding the older man's hand in his own. The older man breathed._

"_Ryu, En, and Kai… you must take care of Aoi and Yuudai. They are the youngest of you five, and will need to learn many things after I'm gone…"_

"_No, don't say that!" the boy with the orange hair insisted. The vision went dark, and was soon replaced by a rather ugly looking creature in a white coat, visiting the five young students, at least I could assume they were student._

"_So, if we fight for you in this tournament, you'll help cure our master?"_

"_Can you promise that?"_

"_Of course…" the creature replied. Fading to black again, the next thing we saw was Aoi, shouting at someone._

"_Give him back! He can be just as useful as us! Please…" She called. Though, no one responded to her. There was a shock to my system and all three of us heard Aoi's scream, which faded quickly._

"_Mahi needs a voice my child, so I have given her yours."_

* * *

The woodlands we had started in appeared around us again as Aoi released my wrists. Was that what Kuwabara had seen in his dream, was it them, like he had told me it was?

"Aoi will never get her voice back, it was taken by the Doctor. You have to stop him. Your friends have already figured out the web of lies he weaved, Kurama and Hiei, and they've gone to correct it. I want you to take care of Aoi, Mimiko." I nodded slowly.

"I…I will but Yuudai…what…happened to you?" He did not answer me, instead vanishing once again. Aoi still hadn't made a move to stop him, but only looked down. Shea, alarmed by what Yuudai had said, took my wrist.

"Come on, we'll take Aoi and get to the stadium, we have to try and stop them from killing anyone on that team." She explained, referring to Kuwabara and Yusuke. I agreed absently, but my thoughts were drifting. What if Kuwabara was already trying to do that himself?


	37. Truth can also be Confusion!

**Chapter 37: Truth can also be Confusion!**

* * *

**Date: September 26th, 2002**

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

It was a mad dash as the three of us and Aoi made our way to the stadium. Loki hadn't thought about changing her blood-stained clothes, but it didn't seem to matter that much to her. Shea seemed really worried after seeing what had happened in Aoi's past, and I thought that this was probably the most sympathetic she had been towards a stranger since I had met her. Yuki sat on Shea's shoulder, once again having expended all his energy keeping himself in his bigger form. Shea and I were also covered in our scratches from all the glass and the lashings we had taken from Mashi, but I didn't feel as stiff as I had when I first got the cuts.

"I can see it over the hill." Loki pointed out. I snapped myself back into reality and it turned out that Loki was correct, and the Stadium was just below the hill we were standing on. Running on pure adrenaline it seemed, the four of us dashed straight down the hill, pushing past some of the crowd that probably had failed to buy a ticket before the fights started. We skidded to a stop as we were stopped by a security guard.

"Hey, you four-" Shea snapped back before he could finish.

"Look, we're the fighters if you hadn't noticed, and if you don't move I'm going to make my own entrance using you as a wrecking ball!" her voice was edgy and Loki flicked her gaze to me.

"Is it her time of month?" I shrugged and ran after Shea as the spooked security guard stepped aside. We dashed down the corridors, trying to find the exit into the field where the ring was held. As we came in after finally finding it, we stopped our running as we came into the stadium.

"What's this? It seems like the two girls missing from Team Urameshi have just shown up, and…is that Aoi from Team Itchigaki?"Koto announced. I dashed up to the ring but Koto stopped me.

"I'm sorry but you can't enter a fight that's already started." Koto warned. I glared at her, not really in the mood to deal with the overly perky MC at the moment.

"I'm not. Yusuke!" Yusuke backed up towards where I was standing, but he did not turn his back on his opponents, who I noted were Ryu, En, and Kai from the past Aoi had shown us.

"Yusuke, don't kill them, they-"

"I know, Kuwabara told me." He commented before jumping back into the fray. Shea was quickly at my side, pulling on my sleeve.

"Mimiko, look at that!" She motioned to the masked fighter, and I covered my mouth to hold back a gasp. Instead of the guy I thought he was under the mask, what I saw was totally different. Once the mask had been torn away, probably somewhere earlier in the fight, it turned out that the Masked fighter…well, 'he' was a girl. Carmel colored eyes hardened by her occasional hostile glances at the ugly creature in a white coat, who I could only assume was Dr. Itchigaki. Her hair was a soft pink, and her skin looked a lot smoother than mine. She was fighting hard, but it looked like she was doing her best not to harm the fighters too badly. Kuwabara was in the worst shape, and that's when I noticed En coming up behind him.

"Kuwabara!" By the time I called out his name it was too late. En struck him with some kind of attack I hadn't seen before, and Kuwabara went flying, slamming against one of the walls outside the ring.

"Kuwabara!" I called out again, ignoring Koto's annoying announcing as I rushed over to him. Shea followed after me, hard on my heels. Kneeling down, I picked Kuwabara off the floor, helping him sit up right. He tried to struggle to his feet, but was having great trouble.

"Kuwabara, stay down, you can't fight anymore." I offered gently. There was a shadow all of a sudden, and I looked up to see a giant robot falling from the sky. It crashed down into the grass on the opposite side of the grass that surrounded the ring.

"Oh and Hiei and Kurama have also shown up! I have to wonder what would be more important to you people than these fights." I could think of a few things, actually. Though, Hiei threw what seemed to be a lizard man onto the grass below, Cleary annoyed at whatever they had gone through. The Doctor stammered.

"M-my robot! My plans! What did you do to them?" he demanded. Kurama, sighed.

"You really have to rethink some of those plans that you made. Some of them don't seem as full proof as you think." They were told the same thing I was about not being able to join the fight either, and Hiei did seem unhappy about this as well.

Shea motioned for me to look at the ring, where I spotted the masked fighter charging up an attack.

"Don't do it! Don't kill them! Urameshi stop her!" Yusuke however, didn't move as the Masked Fighter worked.

"Spirit wave!" I shielded my eyes at the sheer light of the attack she had sent out, and when I could see again, Ryu, En, and Kai were on the floor, with Koto taking the ten count. I had missed something, obviously, while trying to get Kuwabara to stay down. Though neither of the three fighters were moving. Kuwabara looked defeated.

"They…aren't.." before he could finish however, Ryu, En, and Kai all rose to their feet, seeming just as confused themselves. Leaving Kuwabara with Shea for the moment, I jumped up into the ring, scrambling over to Yusuke and the Masked Fighter, who was already rewrapping her mask.

"How did you do that? I thought that killed them for sure!" I asked, feeling my eyes widen in my curiosity.

"The Spirit Wave is a unique move. It delves into your heart. If you are truly kind, it will not kill you, but instead chase away the darkness of your heart. If you are not, it will simply kill you." She responded, before walking away from me and Yusuke.

"Aoi?" The boy with orange hair, Kai, questioned as I suddenly heard someone else running across the ring. There was a quick flash of white as Aoi darted past me, silently gripping Kai in a hug, followed by Ryu and En. Yusuke tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around.

"So, who's that?" I turned back to look at the reunited fighters, and shrugged.

"A good person, I guess." He looked at me skeptically, but ignored it and explained to me that Ryu, En, and Kai had all been under mind control while fighting. Hiei's sudden shout towards the doctor made us turn.

"Don't think you're so found out where you were hiding their master, and we also found out that you caused his sickness. Kurama was easily able to make a remedy for him." He explained. I watched as Kurama re-entered, supporting the elderly man I had seen in the past Aoi had shown us. He did look weakened by the sickness he had suffered, but what Hiei said had particularly pissed me off. And clearly, Yusuke as well.

"Alright, if I thought you pissed me off before, its way past that now." Yusuke growled. The doctor began laughing, his ugly face contorting into a smirk.

"Hahaha, don't you know that doctors always think two steps ahead? I knew that I could easily take control of Ryu, En, and Kai, but the girl, I wouldn't need to touch, I already got what I needed from her, and she would follow these boys quite willingly, after my men killed that other weaker boy." I staggered backwards as I realized who he meant. It all made sense now. Why Yuudai was able to come and go as quickly as he wanted, why he always seemed to know when we were in trouble, and why he smelled like dirt and pine trees. They killed him! It also explained to me why Botan had thought he looked familiar.

"Yo-You stupid bastard!" I managed to choke out, loud enough for him to hear me. "How could you kill Yuudai?" I demanded. Yusuke grabbed one of my shoulders to calm me. I took a deep breath, and in turning I saw that there were tears running down Aoi's face. The doctor only smirked at us though. He quickly moved as some of Shea's shards were shot at him, and I found her beside me, Kuwabara now left in the care of Botan. The doctor still had the smirk on his face.

"Now now, no need for you and your mixed breed scum to get mad. That boy was weak, and he couldn't do anything but use those damn strings, but when I got there, he couldn't even use them properly."

"So you killed him." Shea growled out. The doctor went on like she hadn't even said anything.

"I see it in your eyes, Yusuke, you want to murder me, but you see, what kind of doctor would I be if I hadn't saved any of the precious medicine for myself?" If something happened next, I didn't catch it, because a roaring of blood filled my ears, making me shut my eyes. A male's scream pierced my ears and I shivered with the pain I felt as I listened. I really wanted to make it stop. Was this what Yuudai had felt when they killed him? If he was a ghost, why could I feel him, and why could he touch things instead of going through them? All of it highly confused me, and made my head spin.

"Spirit Gun!" I gained my hearing back and opened my eyes just in time to see Yusuke launch his spirit gun, his eyes filled with rage. It flew towards a giant green creature, one who had taken the doctor's place. It nearly ripped the creature open as it shot through, making it fall. Had Yusuke been so angry that he dispatched it that fast? I walked up to him and buried my face against his back, feeling comforted by the brotherly aura he emitted as I did.

"Master, we're so sorry…we've failed you." I backed away from Yusuke as I heard Kai's voice, joined by the others. They were all gathered around their master, crying like I had seen them in Aoi's vision. Aoi had joined too, her head I could hear more, Yusuke led Shea and I down to meet Kurama and Hiei, who were already with Loki.

"Kuwabara's down and out for now it seems, huh?" Shea asked as she looked down at him.

"Yes, it seems that way." Kurama responded. I had thought after all of that, we'd get a nice break, like the last fight,though one announcement from the tournament committee changed my thoughts on that.

"The next match between Team Mashotsukai and Team Urameshi will begin immediately." …Wonderful.


	38. Shea VS Hakuro, Suyo and Setsuya!

**Chapter 38: Shea VS. Hakuro, Suyo and Setsuya!**

* * *

**Date: September 26th, 2002**

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V**

"What do they mean we'll be fighting again?" Kuwabara demanded from his spot on the floor. Botan had come to aid him by this time, though her magic wasn't doing much for his damaged bones. Hiei crossed his arms, glaring up at one of the 'Top of the world' booths that the stadium had to offer.

"They mean exactly what they say idiot. We'll be fighting a second round." He clarified. I looked at how beat up both Yusuke and Kuwabara seemed.

"Well, Kurama, Hiei, Shea, and I are all fresh… um, well, better off than you, so we'll be okay!" I offered wishfully. I hoped that Kurama and Hiei were in good shape, because at least from what I could see, they seemed it. Before anyone could respond to what I had said, we were interrupted by Koto announcing the arrival of Team Mashotsukai. Turning, I spotted them enter a bunch of men and most likely a woman or so mixed in with the bunch. I couldn't tell because each of them were shrouded in cloaks, the masks all different colors.

"Who are they?" I heard Yusuke ask from behind me.

"Shinobi, or the ninja of the spirit world if that's something you'd understand a bit easier." Now we were dealing with Ninjas? I had to wonder why they were fighting us if they helped out Spirit world though. Something about it just didn't sit right with me. One muttered something to the other and there was a strong gust of wind as the cloak blew off. He was a bit taller than Yusuke, and well built, which from the white toga like thing he was wearing, I could tell he wasn't afraid of showing it. His hair was a bright red, a color that reminded me a bit of a tomato, and a white horn sticking out from his forehead. His sea-blue eyes seemed to glitter and he was wearing a grin despite the circumstances. Yusuke pushed his way past Shea and I and jumped into the ring, to meet him in the middle. He might have been the Team Captain, but I wasn't sure.

"Kurama? Who is that…I figured you might know, I heard you and Yusuke behind me." I whispered behind me. Turning, I saw Kurama's emerald gaze was on Yusuke and this demon as they met in the center of the ring, speaking in hushed tones that only Koto was able to catch, standing right next to them.

"That's Jin, the wind master, as some call him." Kurama explained. My only possible response was a nod, because Koto's voice blared through her microphone.

"It seems like we have a match people! Jin and Yusuke have agreed to a series of one on one matches, running until one of the two teams reaches a total of six wins!" Six… that meant me or Shea would have to win one in the girl's division. There was another strong gust of wind, but this time it did not come from Jin. A sound of something similar to a rocket reached my ears, growing louder until another, smaller cloaked Shinobi fell into the stadium, making a hole in the ground below as they crashed. The cloak-wearer wriggled free, and what did I see? A little girl. She looked just like Jin, the same red hair, and the same eyes, even if hers were a lighter hue.

"Dammit Jin I told ya' I'd never be able ta' fly wearin' this thing! It blocks all the damn wind!" she called to the older demon. Jin's pointed ears flickered as he caught every bit of this Irish girl's loud shouting.

"Well I damn right told ya' ta' be here on time Hoshi!" Jin answered back. As she finally made her way over to him, another one of the cloaked team members came up from behind Jin, placing their hand on his shoulder.

"Jin, we don't need to agree to these-" He was interrupted as Jin grabbed his wrist, squeezing it so hard I could almost _feel _it cracking. The excitement in Jin's eyes had died, replaced with sheer anger.

"Don't ya' touch me." He responded coldly, brushing past the other team member and jumping down from the ring. The girl, Hoshi, jumped off after him, only remaining near the other member of her team for a moment longer. The annoyance I still felt radiating from Jin sent a chill down my spine, making me shiver. Where had that anger come from so suddenly?

"Due to Team Urameshi's fighting without rest, we will now perform a routine check up before the match begins." Yusuke jumped down from the ring, making some sort of crude remark to Kurama as he did. I saw Shea flinch and turned to see what she was looking at. Instantly, I recognized her problem. A woman in a…rather revealing nurses outfit was heading towards us, a clipboard under her arm. Her lips were shaded red from the lipstick she wore, and her long red hair flowed down to her mid-back. Beautiful woman like that hadn't been so kind to Shea so far I noted, remembering Edel. She leaned over to whisper to me.

"Maybe she should wear some pants…" I nodded in agreement and crossed my arms, watching as she dragged her hand across the line, as if she were checking our pupils for any abnormal dilation. Catching Yusuke staring, I slapped his back, trying to remind him of Keiko. In turn, he looked down at his shoes, as if trying to throw me off.

"Well if you're a nurse, maybe you could check on that log on the floor over there." Yusuke suggested to the nurse, who told us her name was Ruka. Ruka instead shook her head and motioned to Hiei and the Masked Fighter.

"No, it's these two I need to see." I looked down at Kuwabara and shook my head.

"But he's the worst condition out of all of us! What kind of nurse are you?" I demanded. However, she ignored me as the two she had called followed her to the medical tent. Shea and I spoke while they were being checked, sitting beside the ring. She had been taking a while to check them, that was for sure. I gasped suddenly as I felt an aura of pure malice blew over my senses. The weird part was, it was coming from Ruka. Kuwabara seemed to pick it up too but I called out first.

"Hiei, MF, look out!" I gave them the warning to late as Ruka began laughing madly, the nurse's outfit torn and quickly replaced by tendrils that covered all the more…cover-needed parts of her body. I ignored Shea as she muttered something about a whore, and dragged her over to where Kurama and Yusuke were standing.

"I have a feeling you aren't exactly a licensed nurse, are you lady?" Yusuke growled. Ruka smiled.

"So good of you to notice. I'm actually an enchantress, with some of the most powerful defensive magic of any creature!" She smirked, turning to look at Hiei, who I could tell was absolutely bristling.

"Good luck getting past my force field." Before Hiei could begin to answer that, the committee made another announcement.

"Hiei and the Masked Fighter have been ruled unable to fight, and will not be able to participate in this fight." I could hear Yusuke's outraged voice behind me and turned just in time to see him stalking up to Koto. Shea and I followed Kurama as he went to pull Yusuke away, and he gathered us together.

"Yusuke, yelling isn't going to help us now. Only careful planning will…Shea, I can sense your energy is higher than Mimiko's." Kurama mentioned, looking to me as if to ask why.

"I used my Tomoshibimari a couple of times today, it will take a while for me to recharge." I explained. Kurama nodded, his eyes falling on Shea.

"You'll have to fight first. Will you be able to handle that?" It was easy to sense the emotion between the two of them as Shea looked back at him, but neither of them made a move to express it at all.

"I'll be fine. You don't have to treat me like a kid." Kurama then turned to me.

"Okay. The women's division always come before the boys, so we'll count on you to take the second fight Mimiko. Yusuke, I'll fight as many of them as I can before I fall, then it will be up to you." Seeing the worry that flashed in Shea's good eye, I placed a hand on Kurama's shoulder.

"Don't get yourself killed alright? We need you through this whole thing, don't fight when you can't anymore." Kurama's gaze was unsteady, and I could see in his eyes what he wouldn't say out loud. No promises… he was uncertain about the odds of this fight, as I was sure we all were. With a murmur of good luck to my friend, I followed Kurama and Yusuke out of the ring leaving Shea there to meet her opponent. Hoshi seemed eager to get up there and fight, but she remained next to Jin, who was sitting in the grass by the far wall, as one of the cloaked members of the team met Shea in the ring. Yuki sat beside me as I rested in the grass, his tiny tails in the air as he tried not to waste his energy in his larger form. I held back a chuckle as I realized how much less threatening Yuki was in his tiniest form.

"Greetings…Shea, is it?" I was close enough to the ring to hear what they were saying, as were Kurama and Yusuke. The team member removed the cloak, and a twine of long, beige colored hair untangled, stopping close to the girl's stomach. She had insightful, deep red eyes, and a pale tone to her skin.

"And you are?" Shea's tone was rude, as it normally was with people she didn't know.

"I am Hakuro, one of the Shinobi. I have waited from the start of this tournament to face you and your team, and I assure you with the goals my sect and I have, we will not lose. _I_ will not lose." Shea crossed her arms, seeming very disinterested.

"That's nice and all, but I have my reasons for wanting to win as well." She muttered back. Koto signaled the start of the match, and Shea and Hakuro separated several paces in a quick few seconds, for sure no longer feeling safe standing right next to each other. Hakuro held her hands out, and a fast fireball formed in her hand.

"I watched your fight with Edel, Shea, and I must say I was impressed, but she was a fool, so don't think those same tricks will work on me." Shea lifted herself into the air, successfully avoiding the fireball the first time Hakuro tossed it, but Shea screamed a moment later. The same fireball that had missed her had come back around, scoring her in the back.

"W-What?" Shea managed. Hakuro seemed more than happy to explain.

"My fireballs aren't just any normal ones you see. They lock on to the energy of the person of my choosing, and they are guaranteed not to miss." Hakuro formed a couple of more, and Shea was forced to fly around in order to avoid them, and it was like watching her play a deadly game of dodge ball. Looking into the stands, I noticed Bruno, a troubled look on his face as he watched his sister struggle to escape Hakuro's attacks. Hakuro was in the middle of the ring, laughing as she watched.

"Fly away all you want, you won't escape them!" Once Shea was far enough ahead of the fireballs, she turned, her wings lighting up as she sent some shards to collide with the fireballs, creating an explosion in mid-air. I watched Shea land again, panting.

"You seem tired, but don't rest yet." Hakuro teased. Shea hurried on her feet, and moments later, her fist connected with Hakuro's jaw. Hakuro staged back, wiping some blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Clever, but street fighting tricks won't save you here!" She formed more fireballs, all of which instantly locked onto Shea. Shea cried out as one got her right wing before she could take off. Now she was forced to run on her feet, three more fireballs hitting her. Then the worst thing I could think of happened. One of the fireballs caught her right in between the shoulder blades. There was a cloud of light that formed as Shea transformed, becoming the purple fox Loki and I had discovered she became whenever she was hit wherever one of her demon features formed. She struggled out from under her clothes, and Hakuro looked surprised for only a moment.

"Interesting." She murmured, before forming a new attack. I saw Yusuke tense as several fiery needles formed in the air around her.

"This should be easy now…" Hakuro let the needles move now, and Shea stood there, her ears pasted against her head as the needles flew by her, scorching off needle sized amounts of fur as they flew past her. Hakuro stopped her onslaught after a few minutes, smirking as she looked down at Shea.

"…And with Shea in a most demeaning form, it seems like Hakuro is ready to finish her off!" I was barley zoned into Koto's announcing as I watched Shea in horror. Looking up at Bruno again, his eyes were dull, like he was watching some kind of nightmare…which in a way, he was. Cheers erupted from around the stadium, and I stood up, wanting to finish this now. I wanted Shea to throw the match, to give in, so I could fight twice as hard in the next fight. It didn't matter as long as Shea lived. Hakuro was standing over her now, her foot firmly clamped on Shea's fluffy tail. A fireball about as large as her current body was formed in her hands, and she was ready to shoot.

"Farewell, Shea!" Suddenly feeling a pulsating, I could hear the beat of a heart as the noises around me faded away, and Shea's presence filled my sense. Was it her heart I was hearing. I suddenly felt the pain as I heard Koto shout something, and suddenly, all the stadiums sights and sounds came rushing back to me.

"Hold the phone! It seems like this fight isn't over yet!" Kurama and Yusuke were focused on the ring as a strong light formed around it. A shadow appeared where Shea's form should have been, a larger, more slender figure filling my line of sight. The light cleared and Shea was no longer there, replaced by something entirely different. A jet black fox with dark black. Its muzzle was stained with dry blood, and its red eyes bore into my soul, just as before.. The half moon on its head was glowing, the tainted light emanating around it. This was the Black Angel.

"_Freedom!"_ the deafening male voice filled the stadium, and I caught the look on Hakuro's face. It had changed from confidence to pure fear, like there was ice in her veins instead of blood. Jin was on his feet, the same expression on his face as…well, most people in the stadium.

"_Foolish demon… you will not kill my host…that is only for me to do!"_ the Black Angel cried as he raced forwards, his steps powerful strides. He caught Hakuro under his paws, a shriek leaving his throat as he swiftly bent down. The next thing I heard was Hakuro's scream as crimson blood sprayed from her neck. Sharp rows of teeth were digging into her neck, and I heard a crack as Hakuro went limp under the creature. The cries around the ring were not cheering, but screams of fear and horror, and I realized what was happening now. The Black Angel had not only killed Hakuro, but he was now tearing her apart, eating her body. The members of her team looked like they wanted to move, at least one or two of them, but they knew as well as I did how much energy was rolling off of this thing, and they would only get killed. Koto ran from the ring, scared out of her wits as well. The Black Angel's neck snapped up, his muzzle stained with now fresh blood as his pink tongue shot out, licking it up.

"_More blood!"_ He hissed loudly. He turned and his eyes locked with me. I let out a scream as he tackled me to the ground, and I heard Yusuke shout as teeth began to fasten to my neck. I felt powerless to stop him, and I knew I was going to die.

"Rose Whip!" The Black Angel let his teeth come away from my neck and I felt the weight lift from my body as he hopped back. Kurama had quickly helped me up and forced me to stand behind him.

"_You!" _The creature screamed._ "You are the cause of my pain! These warm feelings in her heart, they come from you! They sicken me!" _He ran towards Kurama, and I couldn't even form words. Kurama pushed me out from behind him, and I fell to the ground as the creature tackled him. Kurama didn't struggle, even if he was now in the same position that I had been in moments earlier. The crowd was still screaming around us, some even retreating from the stands. They all felt this thing's power. The creature seemed to be trying to finish Kurama off, but for some reason, could not bite down to deliver a blow that would kill anyone. Unless you could somehow survive a snapped neck.

"_Let…him…go stupid girl! You will…never learn power as long as he lives!" _Was Shea arguing with this thing, somewhere? Was Shea still there?

"_No! No!"_ The creature's voice boomed. He shrieked as he began to glow, turning white. All his features, the shackles on his ankles, were being replaced by that of the White angel. Her pristine glow calmed me, and I could tell she was a female. Her more delicate frame, and less broadened shoulders gave it away. She lifted her head and removed her paws from Kurama's chest, unpinning him. I realized the noises around us had died off completely, and nothing, Aside from Hiei, the Masked Fighter, Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and myself moved. Everything seemed to take a light sepia-gray tone behind us.

"Who are you?" Yusuke demanded. The creature, who was washing her muzzle looked up.

"_You have nothing to fear from me, Yusuke. My name is Setsuya…yet I seem to be better known as the 'White Angel'."_ She explained. Her muzzle hadn't moved at all, telling me she was using telepathy to speak to us.

"The White Angel from demon world's fairy tales?" Hiei growled, like he didn't want to believe a word of this.

"_I can assure you I'm quite real, Hiei. And so is Suyo, the creature you have just seen."_ She answered him calmly, rubbing her muzzle again.

"Why…why did he…how did he get out of Shea's heart… is she?" Setsuya walked up to me, placing her slender tail on her shoulder.

"_Shea is still alive, Suyo took over her body using her weakest form as a catalyst to escape. I overtook Suyo with Shea's help." _She suddenly looked up, sniffing the air.

"More blood spilled because of that evil creature…" she hissed. She picked up Shea's clothes and began bounding away.

"Wait!" Setsuya stopped when I called her, looking back.

"_I must go. You will have a chance to talk to me again, I assure you. Don't let her get hit like that during a fight again, Suyo will overtake her. If I stay much longer I will waste more of her energy. It's best if you don't mention what happened to her…she won't remember it."_ Setsuya bounded to the exit of the stadium, sound and movement returning to the stadium around us as she left. If anyone else said anything, I hadn't heard it, there was too much blood roaring through my ears. I could only hope now that whenever Shea was in control of herself again, she would return to the stadium.


	39. Mimiko VS Hoshi, Wind Master's Prodigy!

**Chapter 39:Mimiko VS. Hoshi, the Wind Master's Prodigy!**

* * *

**Date: September 26th, 2002**

* * *

**Normal P.O.V.**

The entire stadium was shocked into an eerie silence. Even after the creature had gone, no one dared to move. It was as if it would come back out and kill them all at any moment. When the noise finally started up again, Koto stood beside the ring, catching the crowd's attention.

"I have gotten word from the committee that since Hakuro is indeed dead… Team Urameshi earns their point!" Murnurs of outrage began to rise, some shouting about Shea no longer even being in the arena. From the group, Shizuru was first to speak.

"It's important that they at least got the point isn't it? The kid didn't do all that fighting for nothing."Keiko and Kouhei still seemed too shocked to speak, and they had every right to be. Bruno looked at the others, his fists clenched tightly. The worry was shining in his eyes and he shook his head.

"I don't care if they got the stupid point or not. Watching Shea trying to avoid those fireballs was like watching a part of me, just waiting to die!" He got up and sprinted up the stairs, Shizuru calling out behind him.

"Bruno wait!" Though he didn't seem to be listening at all. Shin stood up and quickly squeezed past Keiko and Shizuru and began running after Bruno.

"Not you too Shin!" Shin paused, running in place as he turned to face the others.

"Don't worry, I'll get him. I'm worried about him running off when we don't have Botan to follow around." He swung back around and darted up the stairs, running until he found the light that led him out of the stadium. It didn't take him long to catch up to Bruno either. The older boy was just ahead of him, stopped and searching through countless bushes.

"Bruno." Shin drew in his attention, and Bruno turned back to him, making Shin feel a pang of pity from the look in his eyes.

"Please help me look for her… she vanished, you saw it. I need to know she's okay!" Shin looked from him back towards the stadium hesitantly, but then nodded and began helping comb through the bushes.

"You know, I can't lose Shea here." Bruno said as they walked on, stopping momentarily each time they came across something that looked like it could hold the person Bruno so desperately wanted to see.

"Are you and Shea close?" Shin asked, encouraging him to go on as he searched through a bush.

"Closer than you can imagine. Sure, I annoy her a lot, but we were always so close. Our father is… well, he's very abusive. I know that I should probably have told someone about him a long time ago, but… I never did. Our mom was always too emotionally, and physically weak to stand up to him, so I'd often be the one comforting my sister and hell, there were a few times she helped me out too." Shin nodded, noticing Bruno had paused, maybe some leeway for him to ask a question.

"Was your dad always like that?" Bruno shook his head.

"No, he used to be alright. He took up drinking when I was six. He just kept on doing it and well, here we are now. He's been that way since." Shin paused from sifting through the bushes, looking back up at Bruno.

"Bruno… do you still feel how you used to feel about protecting your sister…? I mean, now that you've found out she's a demon?" Bruno paused, his expression a bit pained.

"When I watch her fight, it's like I can feel her pain. I wasn't sure if I felt like her older brother anymore, at first. I realize it now, I love her as much as I did when I thought she was just my dopey little human sister Shia." Shin couldn't help a smile as he nodded.

"I think that no matter what, you're always going to love Shea. I wonder about Mimiko sometimes. She's not my sister or anything, but it feels like she is. I think she's stupid, for putting herself in so much danger…but I feel like she's happier these days, even when her life is in so much danger, she gives it her all to fight with Shea and the others." Someone cleared their throat and both boys whirled around, looking towards the tree behind them. Loki was standing on the branch, staring down at them. The carrot-top motioned her head towards the woods.

"If you're looking for that Vixen, she's a little farther down this way." Bruno locked his gaze with Loki's for a few moments, but when he was sure she was telling the truth, he nodded his thanks and ran forwards with Shin. They did find Shea, just where Loki had told them they would. She was resting against the trunk of a fallen tree, and she was fully dressed, making it clear that she had woken up even if her eyes were closed. The burn marks were still scorched into her clothes, marks from the first part of Shea's last fight. She seemed completely unaware of Shin and Bruno standing there.

"Shea." Bruno walked over to her, kneeling down and pulling her into a hug. Shin stared at her, realizing how small and worn out she looked, compared to the beast they had seen. It couldn't have been her, right? It was silent for a few minutes, but Shea finally brought her hands to her brother's back.

"Bru?" Bruno pulled away so he could look into her eyes, and his own widened. Her good eye looked just as dull and lifeless as her bad one. It was like she was trying to make sense of something, or remember something she knew didn't want to remember.

"I don't want to go back there, Bru. I…I feel like I almost hurt someone I really care about… I can't go back there." Bruno shook his head furiously.

"_You _didn't hurt anyone, I'm sure everyone on the team will be happy to see that you're okay." He thought of telling her that the giant creature had, but he realized it must have had some connection to her, and if she didn't remember it, it was best that he didn't tell her.

"I don't want to, not yet. I won't go back yet." She sounded a bit more distressed now, clearly shaken.

"We don't have to go just yet." Shin offered, coming to sit at Bruno's other side. They couldn't bring her back like this, she needed to calm down first.

"Shea, if you need to cry or anything, you know I'm here right?" Shea shook her head, but buried herself against her older brother.

"I don't need to cry." Came her muffled reply. She sounded okay, now that her brother was there. Shin found it a bit amusing, that she could still keep up her shell, the one Mimiko told him so much about.

"Well, I'm here anyway." Bruno assured her stubbornly. Shin felt like Shea would be okay, as long as the three of them didn't head back to the stadium until she said she wanted to herself.

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

"Now that the ring is cleared up, I'm so pleased to announce the match between the two remaining women, Mimiko and Hoshi, can now begin!" Koto cried out, back to her usual self. It sort of annoyed me, how everyone had returned to blood crazy fans so soon. Hadn't they just witnessed enough blood? I decided that this group would never have enough of blood and shook my head. Looking across the way, I could see Hoshi chattering on excitedly with Jin, who seemed to be encouraging her. I had to wonder if she was going to be mad at me because her Team member from the last match was dead.

"Just be careful alright?" Yusuke waited for me to assure him I would be before I was allowed to jump into the ring. I met Hoshi in the middle. Her ears were twitching as she looked up at me, and I could see more curiosity in her eyes than anger. It made it feel…well, safe to talk to her.

"Look…I'm sorry about Hakuro…" I began awkwardly. Hoshi shrugged.

"Aye, I'm gonna miss er', I really am. But if ya'd like to know I wonder if she knew that was gonna happen. I wanted to fight yer friend but she said "No Hoshi, ya' don't gotta be doing that, I'll take er' on for ya'! She didn't deserve ta' die like that, a good lass she was, but Jin says there ain't no fun in a fight when ya come in holdin' a grudge." I admired that a little bit. She seemed to have no fear of this fight turning out like the last, and she was brave despite what her age seemed to be.

"I don't think she should have died like that either, but it wasn't Shea's fault-"

"I know, I know. Now look, it's best we be forgettin' the fight before us and focus on our match ya' hear me?" Though it sounded stern, I knew what she meant. If we kept thinking about the last fight neither of us would fight right.

"Alright."

"And don't ya' be goin' easy on me because of how young I seem now kay'?" With another nod, Hoshi and I both looked to Koto, who seemed ready to start the match.

"Since it seems like both sides are ready, let's get this started! " She moved away and signaled the start of the match. Hoshi and I moved away from eachother, the wind picking up suddenly as she lifted herself up in the air. I watched her carefully, and sort of realized what she was doing. All the wind was coming in my direction, making it hard for me to even move towards her.

"You aren't going to make it easy for me are you Hoshi?" I called over the roar of the wind. She responded with a nod and shouted back.

"Ya' bet I'm not! An eye fer an eye lass! I'll fight ya' as hard as ya' fight with me!" I nodded as she suddenly came at me, aiming a punch right towards my stomach. I whirled off to the side and she whipped past me.

"Tomoshibi-mari!" I called; sending the attack after her while the wind was going that way. Hoshi didn't see it coming until the last second, and it caught her, slamming into the stand wall with the force of my attack behind her. She shook her head as she tried to regain her wits.

"Didn't see that one comin', so I'll admit ya' got a good shot in on me, but I'm gonna make sure that doesn't go happenin' again!" She flipped back into the ring, the wind as her support. Koto was announcing behind us but I wasn't really listening to her. Hoshi met me in the middle of the ring, and we spend a good amount of time trying to land a punch on one another, but she was so small she kept avoiding me.

"Time to show ya' something good! Wind Spiral!" She held out her hands and a powerful wind shot out, pushing me towards the wall fast, I formed half of my Tomo-barrier behind me, which protected me by cushioning my impact with the wall, but it still hurt. I stood up, holding one of my shoulder blades. Hoshi was clever, that was for sure.

"Tomoshibi-Mari!" I launched the attack again, but this time Hoshi was ready. She began spinning in the air, launching the Tomoshibi-mari back at me. It collided with my body, sending me off the edge of the ring again. I got up despite how my body screamed at me to stay down, as she had powered up my attack using her wind. I got back into the ring, trying to find a way to attack her, but she was already prepared.

"I'll be quick then." I heard her mutter. She circled me, faster each round she made around me, until I felt a strong wind blowing…and my feet lifting off the ground. I couldn't protest as the wind was too loud for any of my words to be caught, and I opened my eyes a bit, the stadium a good deal of space below me. Suddenly, Hoshi stopped, and so did the wind. I felt myself fall, and instinctively, my body went limp. I felt my energy working, and there was a snap as I hit the ring floor.

"Was that her barrier working for her? No matter, I'll start the ten count now! One…" I struggled to try and get to my feet, but I felt a searing pain in one of arms, the one I had landed on, warning me it was broken. Though it was luck and maybe my energy that even helped me survive that fall. I fell back down, unable to move.

"…Ten! The point goes to Hoshi's team." Hoshi murmured something, but then I heard her footsteps fading. There was a sound of scrambling as I felt someone pick me up. I felt the pain in my arm and cried out.

"Good, you're alive. Botan will take care of you." I heard Yusuke's voice mutter. He didn't seem mad, more concerned. All I knew was that I couldn't even move. My eyes were still closed as I faintly heard Botan's voice join Yusuke's, and a warm energy on my arm.

"Just relax dear, you need a rest." Botan's voice was soft, and it relaxed me, though, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I had lost.


	40. Kouhei meets the Wind Master

**Chapter 40: Kouhei meets the Wind Master.**

* * *

**Date: September 26th, 2002**

* * *

**Normal P.O.V.**

With the girl's division now over, it was time for the men of the team's to get into the ring. Yusuke and Kurama were speaking away from where Botan sat, in hushed tones, while Botan tended to Kuwabara. She was careful not to disturb Mimiko, who had fallen asleep against her shoulder. The crowd was talking amongst themselves, with the occasional chanting, like they couldn't wait for the next fight to start. On the other side of the ring, it seemed they were deciding who would fight, all the team members clustered together except for Jin and Hoshi, who sat off to the side by themselves. Kurama looked over to the entrance of the floor of the arena, to see Kouhei rushing through it. Before he or Yusuke had a chance to speak to her, she ran between the two.

"Mimi!" Mimiko stirred groggily, and Botan let her eyes shift to her, ready to warn her if she moved too much. Though Mimiko only shifted slightly to look up at her friend.

"Kouhei? What are you doing down here?" She muttered as she rubbed one of her eyes sorely with her better arm.

"Mimi, she almost killed you! You almost died and I… I would have lost you!" Mimiko seemed about to protest and say she was okay, when Kouhei whirled around, skirting around the edge of the stadium to where Jin and Hoshi were sitting. Mimiko stared wide-eyed at her as Botan set her gently up against the wall.

"I'll get her dear." She excused herself from Kuwabara and hurried after Kouhei, thankful they were far away from the scarier looking team members.

"Why? Why does all of this seem like some kind of game to all of you?" She heard Kouhei demand as she spoke to Jin and Hoshi, more so Hoshi than Jin. Botan seized the dark-haired girl by her shoulders and turned to lead her off when Jin answered from behind them.

"Ya' know, we don't really think it's all that fun ta' be goin' around killin' people and all that. We're knowin' what it's like to lose a friend." Hoshi nodded in agreement with the older demon.

"We gotta fight if we're fixin' to get what we need." Even as they finished, Kouhei still didn't seem to believe them. She gave an exasperated sigh, turned and ran off, running right passed Mimiko. Jin watched Mimiko as she tried to get up, tried to run after Kouhei, and how all her sore muscles seemed to be working against her. Botan dashed over to her and Jin's ears flickered, catching what she was saying.

"No Mimiko, you have to stay here, you'll get worse if you move." Jin stood up and placed his arms behind his head, starting to walk away.

"Jin, where're ya' off ta' now?" Hoshi questioned, her ears perked curiously.

"I'm just goin' out for a bit. If Risho asks, tell im' I'm in the battroom or somethin'." Hoshi nodded and returned to plucking at the grass.

* * *

Kouhei's ticket dangled from the lanyard around her neck as she walked through the exit tunnel of the stadium. She paused as she saw three familiar forms walking towards her. Bruno and Shin had come back with Shea, who had vanished only a match before. Kouhei nodded to them and directed her gaze to Shea.

"Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely concerned for her. Shea looked at her for a few moments, and then nodded.

"Fine." She answered quickly. Shin looked at her curiously.

"Where are you going, are you alright?" Glancing at Shin briefly, Kouhei shrugged gently, kind of rolling the question off of her back.

"I'm okay. Mimiko lost her match, and I need a walk to clear my head." Shea's look switched from calm to alarm, as did Shin's

"Is she okay?" The boy demanded.

"She's alright, her arm and body are just sore, Botan hasn't been able to heal her properly yet." She promised. Bruno looked behind them, to the open stretch of path.

"Do you want Shin to go with you?" he questioned. Kouhei thought of her bubbling sadness and anger, and shook her head.

"No, I'll be okay. I just need to be alone for a little bit. Kurama is fighting next, so please tell me how it goes if he's done by the time I get back." Without waiting for an answer from any of them, she moved around them and walked quickly down the path. She heard Shin warn her to be careful behind her, but she didn't nod. It didn't take her too long to find a quiet place in the woods. She sat out on a large rock, holding her head up by letting her chin rest on her hands. She thought about how things were before everything had happened. Before Mimiko had died, and gotten this strange chance to come back to life. Sure, she was thankful she was alive, but this job was too dangerous.

"She's changed…" she murmured to herself, feeling an empty pang in her stomach. It was true that she seemed to love Kouhei and Shin as much as she had before, but Mimiko kept more secrets now. She didn't know how long the girl had been a detective before she finally told them, but she remembered that it had hurt a bit when she found out. Sometimes, she was sure there was other things the female spirit detective hadn't been telling her either. There was once a time where they told each other everything, but she did feel a growing rift sometimes. A rustle in the bushes alerted her to her surroundings, and she looked at the bush.

"Come on Shin, I told you not to follow me!" she called, an annoyed tone laced in her voice, though she stiffened as instead of Shin, two demons wriggled their way out of the leafy shrubs. She scrambled down from the rock, ready to dart if she had too, but couldn't find the will to move.

"Well look what we have here, a human." One of them hissed. Kouhei held the end of the lanyard tightly as they began to advance.

"Come on lady, you know there's a shortage of tickets, if you just give us yours, we won't have to hurt you." Kouhei kind of wished she was home now, instead of in this position. Did these demons like attacking her or something? Before they got to close, a strong gust of wind blew through, and she spotted a familiar red-head land in front of her, though it wasn't Kurama. Jin turned to look back at her and then at the demons. He was calm, it seemed, as e placed his hands behind his head again.

"Ya'know fellas, ya' may want to try gettin' here ealier next time the tourney rolls around if ya' really wanted to see it. The lady here got er' ticket already." Both of the demons recognized Jin right away and scrambled away. Jin flicked his ears, a confused expression on his face.

"I hope I'm not really that scary. I don't want ta' scare everyone away." Kouhei backed up a little bit, not sure whether to thank him or run away.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked quickly. Jin turned to face her and shrugged.

"If ya' really want ta' know, yer friend, the brown haired one, she seemed upset to see ya' run out like that, so I went ta' see if ya' were alright." Kouhei stubbornly crossed her arms, turning her head so her eyes didn't meet Jin's.

"Should you really be concerned for someone on the other team? I mean, what do your other teammates think?" Jin blinked, wondering why Kouhei seemed to be in a rush to be rid of him. Well, he had already guessed of course, because he was on the other team and therefore a threat to her friends in her eyes. He shrugged lightly.

"Well they don't need ta' know where I am every five seconds." He thought of how to continue, and went on when he finally got it. "besides that, I kinda like yer friends. As far as me and Hoshi are concerned we wouldn't hurt anyone if we didn't have ta'." With a soft sigh, Kouhei sat down in the grass. Jin sat down beside her as well, noticing she was less tense from when they had started talking.

"Jin, right? I heard my friend Botan say your name…well, I was hoping she was talking about you. What is it that you really want anyway? If you were going to ask, my name's Kouhei." Jin acknowledged her mention of her name and then answered, looking up at the sky. It was still pretty early out despite how long the fights seemed to take.

"Well, we want the island."

"This island?" Jin nodded and set his gaze on her.

"Well, yeah. Ya' know we work pretty hard to keep things safe for the Spirit World, but I'd say..a year ago, we saw how you humans lived. Ya' had so much space, and so many things we always had ta' live without. They really take that stuff like it was nothin', when we'd pay anythin' to live like you do." Kouhei thought about his words for a moment. He was right, and she had never thought of it that way.

"I guess there are a lot of things I don't notice I'm lucky to have…" she admitted. Jin shrugged.

"I just think yer used ta' it, so ya' don't notice. Hoshi was holding back er' power, when she fought yer friend. She didn't want to kill er', because I always tell er', I say "Hosh, ya' don't have ta' kill when we don't need ta', now you remember that." She says she agrees." Kouhei looked down, pulling her knees against her chest.

"I'm sorry I yelled at her…at both of you I guess. All I was thinking about was the what if. If Mimiko had died, I'm not sure what I would do without her. She's one of my closest two friends. When I saw her hit the floor from that height, my heart nearly stopped." Jin showed her he was listening by keeping his eyes trained on her.

"I can understand that. Ya' know it takes a real friend to come chargin' right up to a couple of demons and start shoutin' at them. It's probably a good thing ya' didn't run into Risho or Bakken." Kouhei wasn't sure about the names he had just mentioned, but she shrugged.

"I was scared, I wasn't sure what you'd do, after seeing what Hoshi could do to an even slightly experienced fighter." Jin gave a stretch.

"Ya' don't have anythin' to fear from me or Hoshi." He assured her. Kouhei raised an eyebrow.

"So should you really be telling so much about yourself to a friend of your enemy." Jin looked around, his ears flicking as he even looked upwards, a cutely curious expression on his face.

"I don't see any friends of my enemies around here..." Kouhei couldn't help but laugh. She was a bit surprised when Jin joined her, but didn't stop laughing. She stopped a bit after Jin, and she noticed he was staring at her.

"What is it? Did I get something on my face?" she asked, feeling one of her cheeks. Jin shook his head.

"Ya' have a pretty smile." Kouhei's cheeks turned pink as she stared back at him, a grin on his face, which was a bit pink as well, but way less than Kouhei's for sure. Clearing her throat, she sprang to her feet.

"Ahem… well, I should be getting back." Jin got up as well, an amused glimmer in his eyes as she soon found she couldn't move.

"Uhm…Jin…could you walk me back? I uh…don't want to be attacked again. Jin agreed and began to walk ahead of her rather than fly. She caught up to him, falling in with his pace, and she found herself talking to him easily, the awkwardness she thought she would find replaced with a strange comfort. It wasn't long before they ended up inside the stadium, at the split. Jin would go one way to get back to the ring, and Kouhei would return to the crowd going the other way.

"Well, I have to get back to my friends now."

"Right. Bye then, Kouhei." As he walked away, or at least started, Kouhei called out to him.

"Jin!" Jin stopped and turned to look at her.

"Uh…be safe!" She covered her mouth. What was she saying; he was on the other team! Though, Jin just flashed her a grin, waved, and disappeared down the other hallway. Mimiko watched the stands carefully, relieved to see that Kouhei had returned, and was slipping back into her seat. Strangely enough, Jin, who had left earlier, returned as well. By now, Kurama had won his fight with Gama, the demon Team Masho had chosen to go against him. Though, he was in bad shape now. Gama had used a special technique, some kind of makeup, to seal Kurama's energy. Kurama had won without the use of his arms, instead somehow transferring his spirit energy and summoning a rose whip which curled around his hair. In the end, Gama killed himself, but locked Kurama's energy completely so this couldn't be repeated, knowing Kurama had planned to fight more than once. Shea was worried, now replacing Botan as Mimiko's support, but Mimiko patted her back. She only hoped Kurama could do what he wanted, without killing himself first.


	41. The Ice Maiden Returns

**Chapter 41: The Ice Maiden Returns.**

* * *

**Date: September 26th, 2002**

* * *

**Normal P.O.V.**

"We'd better move." Shizuru suggested as she led the others away from where they had been sitting before. Kouhei and Keiko shared confused glances as they reached what seemed to be a place Shizuru found safe. Yusuke had been facing Jin in one of the two final fights. Kurama, after sewing the seed of his death plant in his own body in order to access his energy, had defeated the next fighter, named Touya, master of ice, they had said, had been knocked out, even if he gained the win. Though before the fighters could switch, another fighter, Bakken had stepped in. Bakken was a very dangerous one to someone who couldn't defend themselves. He had beaten up Kurama until he was forced to stop.

Yusuke, seeking revenge, insisted on taking Bakken on. Shea had wanted too, but she wasn't allowed since it was the boy's division of fighting. Yusuke did a good enough job however, taking Bakken out within about twenty minutes, so in truth, he wasn't as tough as he seemed. Next, it was Yusuke's turn to face Jin, and though it seemed like Jin almost had Yusuke beaten, Yusuke retaliated with the Spirit Wave, the move that no one had seemed to even know he learned. Now, it seemed Jin had disappeared, but Shizuru seemed nervous about something.

"Jin…" Kouhei muttered under her breath, looking around to see if she could find him anywhere. Keiko wondered why she sounded concerned, but maybe Jin wasn't as bad as a lot of his other Team Members seemed, and that's what she assumed. Mimiko's eyes scanned the clouds as well, but she felt his energy before she saw him.

"Wait! There he is!" Koto called out as there was a sudden crash in the stands, right where the rest of the group was sitting. Mimiko's eyes were wide and she was aware of Yusuke calling Keiko's name.

"Don't worry, I saw Shizuru move them. She must have sensed it." Mimiko and Yusuke were both able to sigh a quick breath of relief as they spotted the group on the stairs. Koto, despite Jin's almost getting up, had finished her ten count. Yusuke didn't seem to have any anger towards Jin, and it was more respect that Mimiko could see flashing in his eyes.

"Keiko, where are you going?" Shizuru asked as Keiko suddenly began to leave. Keiko turned back and answered quickly.

"I just have to use the bathroom." She answered, hurrying off. Shizuru followed after her, and Kouhei looked at Shin and Bruno.

"I uh..kind of need to use the bathroom too." Shin and Bruno exchanged looks and nodded at one another.

"We'll go with you and wait for you, no sense in you guys getting attacked or something." Shin answered, following after Kouhei with Bruno. The three girls had decided on a bush instead of an actual bathroom. It was partly because they couldn't find it, but also partly because once they thought about it, they wouldn't want to use the bathroom even if demons had them. Shin and Bruno were sitting on a ledge, waiting for the girls to finish, when Bruno suddenly got up.

"Have to use the bathroom too?" Shin questioned.

"Yup."

"Great, let's go find a bush." The two disappeared just as Kouhei, Shizuru, and Keiko emerged. Kouhei sighed in relief, stretching her arms behind her head.

"What a relief…who knows how much longer these fights will go for?" She muttered gently. She soon looked up at Shizuru, who seemed oddly distracted.

"Keiko…go get Botan. Tell her I said it's important that she comes and sees this." Keiko hurried off, and Shizuru signaled for Kouhei to follow her. Kouhei followed easily as Shizuru came up to a teal haired girl facing awat from them. As Shizuru called her 'Yukina', the girl turned around, Kouhei momentarily absorbed in her crimson eyes. They were gentle and soft, but behind them, she could see a deeper meaning, like she had been through something tough.

"So Yukina, you came all the way out here from the Ice World?" Yukina nodded at Kouhei's question as she waited with the two girls, sitting on the ledge the boys had been on a couple of minutes before that.

"Yes. And you're a friend of Mimiko's?" Kouhei smiled and gave her a nod, affirming the girl's thoughts.

"Yukina, what are you doing here?" Botan asked as she came out of the stadium with Keiko right behind her. Yukina explained that she had come to see her rescuers fight, since all of them were on the same team. Though, she admitted she had a second motive.

"I am also looking for my brother. I've heard he is a skilled martial artist, so I was allowed out of the Ice World to look for him." Kouhei noticed Botan stiffen as Shizuru offered to help find him, and Kouhei tilted her head, wondering why. Shizuru whispered something to Botan quickly, but was quick to tense again as Keiko spoke.

"We can help you look. It can't be that hard to find him, right Kouhei?"

"Right!" Kouhei was quick to agree with Keiko, before the screen flashed and showed Kuwabara, standing in the ring.

"What's Kuwabara doing up there, isn't he injured?" Kouhei questioned quickly, standing up as Shizuru hurried, somehow quickly clearing a path to the screen so they could see.

"Oh right! I forgot to tell you, Yusuke was going to fight Risho…that's the last opponent, but they made a bad ruling against him and he wasn't allowed to fight, so Kuwabara wanted to replace him since he isn't ineligible to fight, but now it's a big mess because the poor thing can barely stand!" Botan explained. Kouhei noted how easily Btan was distracted, because they would have been back in the stadium in a snap if she had said this earlier.

"Come on, let's go before it starts! I'm really worried about Kuwabara!" Keiko mentioned. Agreeing, the others followed her, taking Yukina with them. Meanwhile, Bruno and Shin had already headed inside, walking down the halls of the stadium together, trying to find their way back to the right set of stands.

"I wonder if they already made it back inside." Shin said aloud, catching Bruno's attention. Bruno glanced back and shrugged.

"I'm sure they did, I mean, they weren't there when we got back." He reminded the other boy. Shin gave a shrug, and a sudden shout of their names called their attention to behind them. Botan, Shizuru, Kouhei, and Keiko were running down the halls with another girl neither of the boys recognized. Botan grabbed the boys by their arms and dragged them into a run.

"Botan what's going on?" Bruno asked through breaths. Botan explained quickly that They tried to get back into the stadium with Yukina, the other girl, but the security guard had been difficult so Shizuru punched him. They had gotten caught by more security, but they had re-escaped, and Shin looked back to see six Lizard-like guards following them.

"Shin, you take Kouhei, Keiko, and Shizuru, and I'll go with Botan and Yukina, splitting up might confuse them just enough." Shin nodded at Bruno's words and veered away from each other at the next possible moment. Bruno ushered Botan and Yukina down one of the corridors and coaxed them to keep running, even though he was getting tired himself. However, Botan soon fell behind, getting grabbed by one of the three guards after them.

"Bruno, help!" Botan called quickly. Bruno stopped along with Yukina, but then turned back to the Ice Princess.

"Keep running Yukina!" he urged, watching her for a moment longer as she ran farther along. He rushed back over to Botan and grabbed her arm.

"Let go of her." Bruno spun around and managed to punch the guard's stomach with enough force to make him let go, and he held onto Botan's arm as they continued to run, to make sure he kept up with her. Finally, he realized that there was a giant man not standing too far away, and skidded to a stop with security behind him. He noticed his friends on the other side, Yukina stopped short just ahead of him, and she seemed really tense.

"Run along." His deep voice made Bruno shiver, but he once again ushered the two girls with him back to their other friends, and he didn't listen to the complaints the security guards had made to the man, which they called 'Toguro'. Why did that sound so familiar to him? Finally, they reached the exits into the stands, and he and Shin breathed a sigh of relief. Though Shizuru was nowhere to be found, they were relieved to find her among the stands, just in ad different area.

"Thank goodness… she got separated from us and I was afraid that Security had gotten her." Kouhei explained as Botan and Keiko continued to the bottom of the stands with Yukina. Kouhei looked down at the ring to find Kuwabara was holding something back, and seemed to be losing…until Yukina called his name. He quickly overthrew his opponent and the man landed on the floor. Kuwabara surprised everyone with the sudden energy he had gotten from seeing Yukina. The opponent, Risho, was infuriated, but was, after Kuwabara regained his energy, eaily defeated.

* * *

**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

"Wow…who knew love could be power?" I questioned. Shea, who was sitting next to me, gave a shrug. She seemed to think that Kuwabara was acting very childish, if no other words for the expression on her face. Though, her eyes revealed to me that she was calmer since Kurama had woken up. She had been distraught when he seemed on the verge of dying. Yusuke sighed, muttered an 'idiot' under his breath, and turned to us.

"Looks like that's it I guess, we won another one." I nodded, and Kurama picked up from where Yusuke left off.

"Don't rest quite yet." I agreed, hesitantly.

"Right… just because we won doesn't mean that we didn't almost die this time." Hiei and the Masked fighter had escaped Ruka sometime during Kuwabara's fight, and were standing together with us. We had made it through as a full team once again, but I had to wonder how long we could keep this up before we lost someone.


	42. An Eventful Evening!

**Chapter 42: An Eventful Evening!**

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**Date: October 3****rd****, 2002**

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**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

A weeks time doesn't seem very long when you don't fear for your life every step you take. After our Match with Team Masho, the Committee hadn't dared to send us to fight another match for a while, but I knew that peace like this wasn't going to last for long. They scheduled our next fight in two days, and Shea and I had both been walking a lot, since we found that it brought some of our energy back to us. Today, we were out for a walk at dusk, just before the sun was to set. Yukina and Botan had both been a great help with their healing powers, and we were progressively getting stronger. Kurama had to cover up some of his more open wounds with bandages, but he would be able to take them off soon. I was also thankful that together, the healers had managed to fix my broken arm.

I slowed to a stop, Shea following my actions in order to keep from crashing into my back. She seemed to wonder what I was looking at, and I pointed out Botan and Yusuke just ahead of us. She didn't protest as he dragged her along after me so we could meet with them. Yusuke was the first to spot Shea and I, but Botan ran up to me as soon as he pointed us out.

"Mimiko! Can you _please _remind Yusuke of his spirit egg? He's driving me crazy!"

"Alright. Yusuke, you know, little golden egg, saved your life in one way or another after you threw it into the fire to save Keiko?" Yusuke shrugged.

"Rings a bell." When I asked why he needed to be reminded of the egg, Botan told me it was about to hatch, and that's also where she lost me.

"Hatch? But Botan, he threw it into a fire!" I reminded her. Botan shrugged, smiling at me as if I was some kindergartner who didn't know her letters from her numbers.

"Well yes, but apparently, it was returned to Koenma when he did."

"And it's been growing ever since." A sudden voice startled all four of us as Koenma appeared beside Yusuke, a giant golden egg in his hands. My eyes widened at how much it had grown since we last saw it. Riki was perched on his shoulder, but didn't move to mine.

"That can't be my egg." Yusuke concluded as he looked it over. Koenma however, shook his head.

"I'm positive this is yours Yusuke, it's grown big over the year hasn't it? It's been feeding off your good deeds and bad ever since you threw it into the fire. It's ready to burst." I looked back at Shea, who was cringing away from the egg, holding onto her head like it hurt, but before I could attend to her, she recovered.

"…and remember what happens if it hatches into the monster." I had zoned Koenma out for a minute, but I remembered what the monster was. It would eat Yusuke if that's what hatched. Sudddenly, the egg flashed and starting glowing, startling all of us as it shot a ray of blinding green lights into the sky. When we were finally able to look again, there was nothing there. We all looked around alertly.

"Where is it, does anyone see it?" Koenma asked. Riki flew from Koenma's shoulder, calling out her name as she flew past Yusuke's head. Botan burst out in sudden laughter, and Koenma, Shea, and I all followed soon after, failing to keep in our laughter when we saw the beast. Yusuke was looking quite annoyed as a little blue creature sat on his head. It was kind of like an overgrown jellybean of some sort, with long floppy ears, a tuft of black hair on its head, and an orange beak with matching orange feet that clung to Yusuke's hair. The irony was that it was probably the most adorable thing I had ever seen, yet it was supposed to be Yusuke's other half.

"Puu!" it we weren't dying laughing already, we sure were now. Shea fell onto the floor while Botan and I had to hold onto each other to prevent from doing the same thing.

"Oh…oh that's amazing Yusuke! Is that what you'd look like as a plush toy?" I squeaked out between laughs. Koenma and Botan joined in on the teasing, while Shea was too far gone in a laughing fit to try. I felt a hand hit the back of my head suddenly and jumped backwards.

"Ouch!" rubbing the back of my head where Yusuke had smacked me, I listened to him after Botan had gotten done yelling at him for smacking her as well.

"It can't look as stupid as you bunch of morons think!" However, he was about to find out how wrong he was. When we came back into the hotel room, there were more fits of laughter, everyone in the room busy teasing him about Puu, which seemed to be his name because that's all he would say. However, I noticed Kurama, Hiei, and Kouhei were not among the group.

"Alright, that's enough mocking Yusuke for one day. We all have the rest of his life for that." Shizuru mentioned as everyone finally settled down. I later found myself sitting with Shizuru in their room in the hotel. Keiko was enlisted by Yusuke to take care of Puu while he tried to shake his embarrassment, but she had trusted me with him while she took a shower. I looked around the room before speaking to Shizuru.

"Hey Shizuru, have you seen Kouhei anywhere?" I questioned. My concern had been rising ever since earlier that afternoon, because she had not returned yet.

"She came in here a few hours ago to get her coat, but I haven't seen her since." Shizuru answered, which only deepened my worry for the black-haired girl. Sitting up, I slid into my shoes and headed for the door, Puu safely in my arms.

"Tell Keiko I'll bring Puu by before she goes to bed, I'm going for a walk." Shizuru, catching onto what I was doing, let out a puff of cigarette smoke.

"Just so you know kid, she's been doing this for the past few days. We told her it wasn't a good idea the first time, but she kept coming back okay, so we stopped worrying so much." I nodded with this new information, and thanked her, but still went to search. I felt my stomach turn, like it was preparing for me to find the worst possible thing had happened to my friend. Halfway through my search, Puu got free of my hold and fluttered off using his ears, forcing me to run after him. I identified two voices as Puu neared another bush and quickly ducked behind it, grabbing him and dragging him down with me. I could identify both voices easily. One was Jin's, the demon we fought last match…the other, Kouhei's.

"Ya' know the wind's a lot more pleasant around here. I think it's the way the sea water crashes in ta' the cliffs. Smells a lot nicer." Jin mentioned. Daring too peek through a small hole in the bush, I spotted the two of them. Both were sitting in the grass, and Kouhei was staring up into the starry sky above them. She giggled a bit and lightly hit his arm.

"You said the same thing about the wind on the treetops a couple of nights ago!" I froze. This wasn't the first night they had met up like this? I noticed Jin did not seem to sense me, though he may have been ignoring me purposely if he had.

"I guess I just like the wind anywhere I am. But Kouhei, why do ya' keep sneakin' around like this? Can't ya' just tell them where yer goin' so they aren'y worried about ya'? It's really damn confusin'." Kouhei shook her head, and I found it frustrating that I couldn't see her expression since she wasn't facing my direction. She heaved a sigh before speaking.

"I don't think my friends would understand why I'm coming out here to meet you. I mean…it isn't like they hate you or anything…but, I just have that feeling." Jin shrugged.

"Why do ya' come then?" Kouhei shrugged herself, and chuckled a little bit.

"I don't know why exactly, but it makes me happy….just, really happy." I saw Jin's ears twitch, like he had told Yusuke they would do when he was happy.

"It makes me happy too." I got up, careful not to make the bush rustle and ran off in the opposite direction, panting as I finally came to a halt.

"Aw this isn't good... I'm sure that she's starting to…she can't!" I argued with myself as I shook my head. I knew I had to go talk to Shin. I found him easily in the Hotel room he shared with Bruno. I sought him out after returning Puu to Keiko. Shin listened to my worries about Kouhei and Jin.

"What I'm really afraid of, is if we do end up leaving the island. You know what I mean? She'll have to leave Jin behind, and if I keep letting her see him, it's going to break her heart." Shin didn't speak until he was sure I was done.

"You shouldn't worry so much Mimiko." I couldn't believe he was just brushing the whole thing off his shoulders!

"I don't want Kouhei to get hurt! I didn't expect her to get attached to anyone when you guys showed up here!" Shin told me to calm down.

"Look, did she kiss him or anything?" I shook my head, indicating nothing like that happened.

"Yet Shin. If that does happen at some point, then we've got problems."

"Mimiko, you're thinking too much, they haven't been doing this for that long." He mentioned. Sighing heavily, I opened the door.

"You don't understand girls then Shin." I slammed it shut behind me and walked off, somehow ending up at the boulder in front of the hotel that overlooked the cliffs. I sat there for a while, thinking quietly to myself, when I felt a soft fabric wrap around my neck. Looking down, I saw the green material of one of the scarves that Yuudai always wore, and seconds later, he sat down beside me, not saying a word as he did.

"Yuudai? Why didn't you tell me you were a-" He held up a hand, telling me to stop talking, and I did.

"Don't even start trying to think about how I died. I don't want to be remembered for that. I want _you_ of all people, to remember me how I am now, to think of me how I am, not how I was. My employer gave me the gift of a solid body, like the grim reaper has herself, but it won't last forever." He mentioned, looking out over the water. I was taken aback by his words, but soon moved on.

"Yuudai…" I told him all of the worries I had just expressed to Shin, and he listened to me, carefully almost.

"I think that the only way to solve this, is to let her decide on her own. If she comes to like him, and she has to leave him, it will be her choice. I'm sure she won't like it if you come in and tell her who she can and can't see." I tried to retort to that, but I couldn't. He had explained it to me a lot deeper in meaning than Shin had.

"I suppose." I muttered with a sigh of defeat. Something still bubbled in my stomach though, a discomfort at what I was letting slip by.

* * *

**Normal P.O.V.**

After everyone had gone to bed, Shea had realized she couldn't sleep. She had come outside to sit on the boulder outside the hotel, a place it seemed her and Mimiko shared in common as a thinking spot. Kurama had come outside to join her, and they shared the space on the boulder, the waves crashing through the darkness of the night, with only the moon illuminating their view, and they could only see so far ahead of them.

"Are you feeling better Kurama? How are your wounds?" Though it had been a week, Kurama had taken the most time to recover, due to his extensive injuries from dealing with three fights on his own.

"I'm recovering. I should be fine by the next fight." He answered. Shea didn't seem to want to bother in asking where he and Hiei had been earlier that night, though she couldn't help her curiosity. She bit back the question, saved by Kurama asking her one of his own.

"Are you okay?" Shea sighed lightly, and looked up at him.

"Yusuke's Spirit Creature hatched while you were gone. When I saw its egg though… I thought I heard laughing inside my head. It was so loud it hurt…and it sounded evil." Kurama looked away and nodded. He was sure he knew why, and the answer was Suyo, but he didn't tell her that, she wouldn't know.

"Kurama?" Kurama turned back to look at her again, finding her looking down at her shoes.

"If…anything ever happened, where I turned against you…would you kill me?" Kurama looked genuinely surprised as she said this, noticing the hues in her purple eyes flicker softly from lighter to darker before returning to normal.

"Why do you think that would happen." Shea held up her hands, shaking her head gently.

"I just want to know what you would do." Kurama placed his hand on her shoulder, and pulled her closer to him, kissing her forehead lightly. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked up at him, curiosity swimming in her eyes.

"I care too much about you to do something like that. I wouldn't kill you, even if that was the only option that logic gave me." Shea tore her gaze from him and stared in the opposite direction.

"…caring for someone strongly, and loving them…the way I want you too…can be two entirely different things." She didn't let Kurama get a word in edgewise, instead continuing.

"I've tried to avoid it, and I kept telling myself you never felt the same, but I can't keep doing this to myself…Kurama…I love you. You have to tell me that you don't feel the same way." Tears threatened her eyes as she continued on.

"If you tell me that…I can start getting over this, I need to start getting-" Kurama closed the space between them quickly, quieting her rambling with a kiss. Shea's eyes widened considerably before finally closing as she returned the kiss. When he broke away from her, she could see a passion nearly burning in his eyes.

"I love you too Shea, so I don't know what you want me to tell you, if not that." Shea was nearly too dazed to say anything, so he got his chance to speak.

"I never have wanted a relationship, even if I have had the chance. I didn't think about falling in love because no normal woman needs the life that I have. I felt the same way about you when I met you. Now…now we share the same dangers, and that is what eliminated the wall between us." Shea buried herself against Kurama's chest, and he held her for a while as the overwhelmed girl clung to him.

"You should go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning." He murmured quietly. It had been a long night, and he knew that she hadn't slept much in the past few days. Helping her up, he led her back inside, so they could return to the room they shared with the rest of their team.


	43. Crossing the Lines!

**Chapter 43: Crossing the lines!**

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**Date: October 4th, 2002**

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**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

I noticed a change in Shea that morning as we rushed around trying to get ready to see the match that was today. Whoever won this one, would be facing us come our next match, and Yusuke had the idea of seeing who it was. She was dazed, but it was like she was still caught in some blissful dream. Though I was curious, I knew it was better not to ask her these kinds of things to her, because she'd either get defensive or change the subject quickly by commenting rudely on the way some one was dressed, and avert attention away from herself. So instead, I waited for Kuwabara, who was still brushing his teeth, with the others in the living room area.

"Thanks for letting me come too you guys. I know you said its dangerous even when you aren't fighting, but I'd like to see what's going on." Kouhei commented as she sat beside me, finishing up a croissant that had been given to her earlier. Crossly, I decided she probably only wanted to go to see if Jin would be among the viewers of the fight. With a sigh, I dismissed my thoughts as Kuwabara made his was out of the bathroom.

"Hey, we technically can't lock you in the hotel room." Yusuke mentioned as he got up to lead the way to the main door, with us following his lead. They had told us that this was the last match or two in the stadium we had been fighting in, which would soon be deemed the Old Stadium, so at least we knew the way today. It had taken us at least fifteen minutes to arrive there, and it didn't take us long to find Kurama and Hiei, who had been watching by one of the exits. I noticed Loki was not with Hiei, but she hadn't been feeling so well the night before, and as much as he liked to think it, Hiei wasn't heartless. He was sure to have one..Somewhere under all that hellish attitude of his.

"Well, you guys had the same idea huh?" I asked as we came to rest beside them. I noticed Shea grab his hand with hers and lean against his arm, to which he reacted with a certain radiation of warmth and In thought I could see a slight fleck of adoration in his eyes, telling me if he was hiding it, he was sure doing it well. I would now have to fish something out of Shea when I got the chance, because I was certain there was something going on. Though Kurama cleared his throat as he was the one to answer me.

"Had the same Idea. The fight ended rather quickly." Kuwabara looked out at the stadium, his eyes dinnerplate wide as he seemed to try and figure something out.

"All of this was done before we got here just because they decided to eat breakfast and I wanted to brush my teeth?" Hiei gave us the usual 'Hn' and turned away so he was facing towards Yusuke. Puu was sitting on the fighter's head, but we had mocked him enough about it on the walk over. We'd have to stop making fun of him at some point, but it was too much fun.

"What is that ridiculous looking thing on your head? A creature or an appendage?"

"Puberty will do that to you. How are you Kurama?" Yusuke questioned as he overlooked most of Hiei's comment. Kurama kept his grip on Shea's hand and nodded at him.

"I'll be alright for a fight tomorrow. They weren't too deep and I've managed to…clear my mind a bit..." He mentioned, glancing down towards the female beside him. Kouhei tapped me and jumped towards me, using my shoulder to balance herself.

"Okay there is definitely something going on with those two…" I managed to nod my head as she whispered it too me, but as I said before, we'd need to get information later. Yusuke and Kuwabara hadn't seemed to notice the change however, and Hiei, if he had, didn't seem to care. The masked Fighter was as silent as ever, so I had almost forgotten she had been there. Kuwabara started going on about Yukina, and I laughed when Kurama suggested we help look for Yukina's brother, while Kouhei seemed completely serious about helping her look for him too, since she had no idea it was Hiei they should have been looking for. Suddenly, Yusuke's good mood turned into a sour one as he called out the masked fighter. She had been staring at him all that time we were joking around.

Though I didn't find out why until a bolt of lightning smacked into the wall behind us. Yusuke pushed Kouhei and I down and Kuwabara busied himself with blocking some of the falling wall from hitting anyone, and when it finally stopped crumbling, Yusuke allowed us to stand. I turned in the direction of where it had come from only to be as in shock as everyone else. Standing across from us, were the five members of Team Toguro. Elder Toguro, a man with black hair and really pale skin. His outfit reminded me somewhat of a vampires, but he wasn't one at all,it was probably just the black and the red. Next to him, a man so covered in armor, I could barely see his face at all, but he was very large and sturdy.

Standing next to him still, was a strange man. He had green hair (and the same pointed ears as Sprite) fairly tan skin, and dull, lifeless green eyes, the same look that Sprite's retained when she was being controlled by the machine Tarukane had invented. He held out a golden staff in front of him, which told me he was the one who had fired the attack. If Koto was saying anything, I didn't hear it. The blood was roaring in my ears, and my heart was racing with fear. Standing in the middle of the bunch, was Toguro himself. He was smirking at us, and mouthed something before turning to leave with his team. Kuwabara sunk to the floor, and Kouhei held tightly to my arm. I felt Kurama gently usher the both of us forwards, and the next thing I knew, we were sitting in our team room. By the time I could hear properly again, it was Kuwabara speaking.

"We can't win…not against them…"

"Well sitting her and bitching about it isn't going to help us at all." Yusuke argued. Shea nodded as she came to sit on the table with Kouhei and I.

"Yusuke's right. Actually, if anything seeing them made me feel more desperate to beat them senseless…" Shea put in. Kouhei was the one to ask the question my brain had formed.

"More desperate?" Shea closed her eyes and nodded.

"Yeah. That one that fired at us, he's Sprite's brother, and my best friend from my demon childhood. It's clear they're controlling him the same way Sprite was being controlled, she was right when she said he had been captured too." She explained. I did have a deep feeling it was something like that, but at least she had confirmed it.

"Well, we'll have to give it all we've got then." I put in. Just then the door opened, and revealed the seven members of the team that had won the fights that day, Team Uriatogi.

"Now I think you're forgetting something." The one in the middle with long, blue hair said as he crossed his arms. I heard Kurama mutter under his breath and a curse slip from Hiei's lips. The team introduced themselves one by one, but it was the girls that interested me. Either one of them were hanging off of the one in the middle, Shishiwakamaru…just like annoying little Christmas ornaments. The two were twins, Hiki and Miromi, and both seemed to be avid followers in Shishi's ways. Shishi explained they were trying to become famous, and they wouldn't stop, which meant beating us in tomorrow's fight.

"Join a boyband! They make more money anyway!" Kuwabara mentioned as he began to walk away.

"Kuwabara, a wish could get you a lot more money…but he does have the hair for it." Yusuke agreed. Shishi turned back to us just as horns sprouted from his head, now wearing a face of uglier sorts.

"I assure you that we will kill you all tomorrow! None of you will be spared!" He hissed before walking away, Hiki and Miromi both attempting to calm him as their voices faded. Kouhei and I exchanged glances just as Yusuke shouted out.

"Will you quit looking at me like that, the hell is your problem anyway?" He demanded. I turned to look at the masked fighter as she assessed him calmly. She appeared to be the source of his sudden outburst. Just as Yusuke punched a wall, Botan nearly screamed out as she rounded it, dropping several cans of soda that all tumbled to her feet.

"Are you gonna answer me you masked freak?" The masked fighter sighed.

"I wonder something…if the leader of Team Toguro is Toguro, should our leader not be you? Yet you seem to lack the power needed to lead us to victory."

"Are you saying you want to lead this team?"

"If need be." She began to walk away, but Yusuke followed directly after, refusing to leave her alone as they pushed past Botan. I looked down and closed my eyes.

"Aren't any of you going to go after them?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"It isn't our fight." Kuwabara answered. Kurama's voice was the next I heard.

"There would be nothing we can do anyway."

"This team is breaking apart faster than soggy bread…and none of you even seem like you care!" I heard her footsteps down the hall and Puu's screaming, but she was gone when I opened my eyes.

"Did you see, Kouhei?" Kouhei looked to me, and Shea and the others remained silent as I spoke.

"You saw that team leader…he was innocent looking at the most one moment…and the next he looked like a true murderer…a lot of people here are two faced…and you can't trust anyone…" Kouhei looked confused and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes but…what does that have to do with me…?"

"You shouldn't trust anyone besides us…"

"I don't know what you-"

"Stop seeing Jin!" I shouted out suddenly…it just slipped, and I had no idea what had come over me. Her eyes were wide, a mix of fear, anger, and confusion.

"How did you-" I cut her off quickly, leaving her no time to speak.

"I saw you with him, and it has to stop…you don't know what you're getting into, and you don't know if you can trust him…" Shea seemed to be aware for the first time of why Kouhei had been going off so much, but she didn't intervene between us, and Kurama and Hiei seemed indifferent to this altogether. Kuwabara had run out before, probably out of frustration, but now Kouhei seemed filled with poorly contained rage.

"Who are you to tell me what to do Mimiko? I'll trust who I want! We aren't five anymore, and I don't need you and Shin to protect me all the time! You don't know Jin at all, and it wasn't like I was planning to run off and elope in the middle of the night! I don't even like him that way! He just makes me feel safe…" I clutched the edge of the table tightly.

"But you don't know that you can trust him just because he makes you feel like that!"

"I don't know who I can trust anymore, because there are people here that don't think they can trust me!" Before I could say anything else, she stormed off, clearly feeling humiliated for me calling her out in front of the others, and angry. I tried to catch my breath, but it kept hitching in my throat.

"Mimiko-" I didn't give Shea a chance to tell me that I was out of line, or that she thought I was right. In fact, I didn't stay to hear anyone's opinion. I took off running, and continued fast on my feet until I managed to trip over a tree root somewhere in the woods. Rather than get up, I rested against the ground and allowed myself to cry, and I continued to do so until I felt someone touch my back. Sitting up, I was met with Sprite's gentle gaze, which calmed me somewhat.

"Sprite…"

"What happened?" Almost as soon as she said it, everything spilled out in waves. She sat and listened to me as I explained everything, from start to finish, about the events of the day, and how I was most upset with what happened with Kouhei.

"I just don't think it's a good idea for a human to fall in love with a demon…" I explained once I had calmed down. Sprite nodded, but didn't look at me.

"…Mimiko, tell me something…do humans not fall in love with different races of humans than themselves?" I thought about it, and people did. I had seen so many mixed couples growing up, and it never bothered me.

"Well no but-"

"Human-like Demons have most of the same emotions as humans…we love, we feel pain, and we feel happiness. Just like we easily fall in love with demons of other races, even if it is frowned upon, you can't help who you love…" her words were clear and easy to understand, and she said them in a soothing way.

"And Kouhei was right, you aren't sure they're in love, or that they even like each other in that way. Even if you have a right to worry, you're talking to me now aren't you, even though I was on another team? Maybe your anger did change your judgment. I've spoken to Jin myself you know, he isn't so bad at all. In fact during your fight with his team he was the one I felt was most trustable, other than his sister. Touya was a little harder to read, but he seems respectable." I looked at her as she straightened out her posture a bit.

"So what you're saying is I was wrong?"

"Not wrong… it was just the wrong way to talk to her about it, and the wrong time to bring it up."

"There was just so many emotions in that room, it spilled out after I saw Shishiwakamaru." Sprite placed her hand on my back and gave it a gentle pat.

"I'll have to think about this some more…I guess even if he does break her heart, it's her life…" There was silence for a while as Sprite and I sat around, listening to the sounds of the woodland life.

"Sprite…?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think she'll forgive me?"

"If your friendship is as strong as it always has been, I'm sure she will…"

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**A/N: Okay, so, My writer's muse has been dead for a long while now, but I managed to work up my inspriation enough to write this up for ya~ Of course I'll try and keep working, I'm determined not to give up on this story, but I just have to get another chapter for something else I need to write for two, so I hope you can all hang in there and bare with me while I continue to work on this story here. A big thanks to those of you that have stuck around to read it for so long!**


	44. The Make up Game

**Chapter 44: The Make up Game.**

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**Date: October 4th, 2002**

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**Mimiko's P.O.V.**

Later that night was a pretty typical night for our team, sitting in the hotel room, counting down the minutes to our next fight. Kurama, Kuwabara, Shea and I sat around playing cards, while Hiei and Loki sat by the windowsill. Loki turned her eyes out towards the rain pelted window pain, sighing as she watched the water slide down the glass.

"Yusuke hasn't returned yet." She mentioned. Though there wasn't any worry in her voice, I thought I should assure her of something somehow.

"Seems like typical Yusuke to me. He's probably around, taking his anger out on some trees or something." I commented, taking one of the cards from Kurama's hand into my own. The eight of Spades had been just what I needed. Kuwabara looked up from his cards, seemingly deep in thought as he moved them in his hands.

"I wonder how tough this team is going to be…" Kuwabara thought aloud, allowing Shea to pluck one of his cards from him as she took her turn.

"The only thing Mimiko and I have to worry about are a bunch of fangirls for that Shishiwaka…whatever his name was guy. We'll be okay." Hiei huffed from his place on the sill and cracked a crimson eye open to look at Shea.

"It doesn't matter what they are, we don't know a thing about their ability, or about their need for vengeance." He muttered, making me raise an eyebrow.

"Why does a need for vengeance matter?"

"Neither of you have killed a single opponent of yours since these matches began." Hiei argued, which made me somehow see his point. Though I was grateful to him, since he seemed to be pointedly avoiding the fact that Shea had in fact killed someone during her fight, she just wasn't aware she had, and we were trying to keep it that way, as Setsuya wanted us to.

"You know, not everyone likes killing things Hiei." I retorted, to which he rolled his eyes in annoyance and turned back to the window. A knock at the door caught our attention, and whoever was knocking didn't wait for us to open the door. The door creaked open to reveal Keiko, Shizuru, Yukina, Bruno, Shin, and Botan leading the pack, arms filled with various drinks. I Noticed Kouhei was not among them and sighed to myself, figuring she probably hadn't wanted to come in the first place, not after what I said.

"You guys ever heard of waiting until someone answers the door?" Kuwabara asked. Botan shrugged and placed the drinks on the table.

"Well, we figured you all needed a bit of a pick me up, so we thought a little party before your next match would help!" Bruno strolled up beside her, his hands in his pockets.

"By we, she means her." He explained as Kuwabara eyed him.

"Well, we were discussing important team matters-"

"What's so dire about Go Fish?" As Yukina poked her head out from behind Bruno, Kuwabara perked up, ignoring the older boy completely.

"Oh Yukina! Why don't you play some cards with us, we weren't really doing anything important!" Yeah, smooth Kuwabara… Bruno looked a bit annoyed, but Botan took his wrist.

"Just ignore his mood changes." She commented, though she seemed annoyed by it herself. Keiko looked over to Kurama, and I noticed she had been holding Puu, who looked a bit pale and sick, compared to how he usually was.

"…Have you seen Yusuke? I've been worried about Puu…he looks sick, and he's Yusuke's other half and all…." Kurama responded calmly, with a warm smile he shared only with his friends, if only on this island, I had no idea where he used it outside of Hanging Neck Island.

"He went out for a while, I'm sure he'll be back later." Good thing he said that too, since none of us wanted Keiko to freak out, because Yusuke was missing in action and none of us had the slightest idea of a first place to look for him. Of course the Masked Fighter was missing as well, I was sure they hadn't killed each other. I felt a shift in the weight at my side as Shin sat beside me, his arms crossed over his lap as he looked back at me.

"Hey Shin…"

"Are you okay? Kouhei told me about your fight…right before she went off to find Jin. I swear you two think I'm useless these days." He joked, swatting my shoulder lightly. I gave him a sigh and a nudge before speaking.

"I need to find her Shin, I said some things I really shouldn't have." Shin smiled and gave me the thumbs up.

"Great, I'll look for her with you." He took my hand and nearly launched me off the couch as he got up himself, and we told the others we had to take a walk before excusing ourselves from them.

"Man, we've been searching for thirty minutes, who knows where they are?" Shin exclaimed as he poked his head out of one of the bushes. I paused in my searching to smell the air.

"…Lilacs don't grow around here…why does it smell like that?" Shin suggested we follow it, and it led us to a clearing that sat on a hill overlooking the ocean. Beautiful bunches of lilacs surrounded the area, the shades of purple calming me a little as I took in the scent. Though I tensed as soon as I spotted Kouhei and Jin. They were in the middle of the field, sitting together while Kouhei was at work making a chain of flowers on a string. Shin stepped forwards and laughed.

"Kouhei, remember how you always used to make those for us as kids? You were really good at it." Kouhei and Jin, who had probably sensed us before we got there, looked up at the sound of his voice. Kouhei spotted me and made sure to turn her back on me while she continued to work, while Jin smiled at us.

"Bout' time someone else found this place besides me, the lilacs sure do get lonely up here." I figured that was his way of saying hello, and nodded at him in return. He seemed aware of course, that Kouhei was mad at me, but the flicker of confusion in his eyes told me she didn't tell him why.

"Hey Jin, mind telling me how you found this place on an island like this." Jin nodded at jumped to his feet, catching up to Shin to tell him all about the place, giving me a chance to sit down beside Kouhei.

"Kouhei, look-"

"I don't have any interest in hearing you say anything about Jin, alright?"

"I'm not here to fight." Kouhei turned to her side a little, showing me she was listening despite not wanting too.

"I was wrong, and after we fought, I had a talk with Sprite. Everything I said was bad, some of it was a bit hypocritical, and I had no place to speak because…I was about borderline in love with Yusuke at some point too and…" Kouhei blinked, now turned fully towards me and sitting with her legs crossed like a pretzel. Her look was one of genuine surprise.

"You liked Yusuke? Why didn't you act on it?"

"I had to let go of those feelings for him Kouhei, because he already had someone who loved him so dearly for years, even if he isn't aware of what he has yet. I wasn't going to get in the way of that." I paused and took a deep breath.

"But enough about that. Do you like Jin a little more than you should?"

"I…yes…but it isn't love I just…I don't know." Nodding, I cleared my throat a little.

"It can be different for you and Jin than it was for me. I understand if you really like each other, that you'll make it work. I'm not going to pretend you can't handle yourself anymore." Kouhei lowered the chain of flowers to the grass and let it lay there, and then leaned over to hug me, to which I responded by placing my arms around her as well.

"So…friends?"

"The best…" I pulled back and looked back to Jin and Shin, who were looking out at the Ocean, and dragged Kouhei over to them, shoving her into Jin, who twitched an ear as he steadied her. Jin breathed in and grinned widely.

"Ah the smell of the sea's always a great thing." He commented as he gave a stretch. I looked out over the glistening sea and nodded.

"Oh yeah, the ocean and all its glorious mutant angler fish." Shin and Kouhei both looked at me.

"…What?"

"Oh nothing."

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**A/N: Just a small chapter filled of mostly fluff, I'll get into the actual fights next chapter.**


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